Damn Natives

She looked down at the debris scattered across the sky and extended her left hand.

Five fingers, as thick as mountains, spread open with the palm facing downward.

An invisible suction surged from her palm, seizing all the energy shockwaves that were dispersing in every direction.

The jade-green energy shockwaves struggled violently in her palm, twisting and rolling like a snake held by its neck, desperately trying to break free.

Jade Shadow Star's fingers slowly curled inward.

The energy shockwaves were compressed, condensed, and reshaped within her palm.

What had initially been a violent energy storm covering thousands of meters was compressed bit by bit—to hundreds of meters, then dozens, and finally into a fist-sized orb.

The sphere of energy rotated slowly in her palm, its surface flowing with intricate jade-green patterns.

With every rotation, the volume of the energy orb shrank further, and its light grew a fraction dimmer.

A few breaths later, the energy was compressed into a thumb-sized jade-green crystal.

The crystal was entirely transparent, with countless fine specks of light flowing slowly inside, as if it contained a concentrated forest.

Jade Shadow Star casually flicked the crystal toward the War Fortress.

The crystal traced an arc through the air, landing precisely in the fortress's energy hub.

The energy hub lit up instantly. Its jade-green glow grew thirty percent brighter than before, and the runic patterns on the protective shield's surface became even denser.

"Damn natives," Jade Shadow Star's voice boomed down from the high heavens, laced with impatience. "They really think I'm good-tempered. To think they dared to ruin my grand plans."

She looked down, her gaze piercing through the fortress's shield to land on the building where the command center was located.

"Thousand Eyes."

In the command center hall, Wizard Thousand Eyes' body tensed slightly.

He raised his right hand to his chest and bowed his head. "Lord Jade Shadow."

"Full-scale assault. Strike fear into the hearts of these natives until they turn against the world consciousness. Weaken the world consciousness's resistance to the maximum extent. I give you thirty years. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my Lord."

Jade Shadow Star said nothing more.

The Elemental True Body vanished instantly.

...

The moment Orion was pulverized by Jade Shadow Star's punch, the eighteen remaining Third-Tier lifeforms in the sky froze simultaneously.

They had witnessed the jade-green pillar of light shatter into a sky full of sparks under her fist. They had seen Orion's body disintegrate starting from the head—skin peeling, bones shattering—until finally, he turned into countless small fragments falling from the heights.

A magical beast let out a hoarse, low growl.

There was no anger, no grief—only a cold, soul-deep terror.

A serpent-like magical beast was the first to turn.

Its massive body, over three thousand meters long, was incredibly agile in the air. Dark green scales flashed with ink-colored patterns as it whipped its tail, bolting toward the northern horizon.

It didn't even bother to call out to its companions, nor did it care for the kin still locked in combat with the wizards.

A flying magical beast with a wingspan of over four thousand meters followed immediately after.

A small portion of its left wing had been blasted off by a wizard's lightning, making its flight unstable, but it had no intention of looking back.

Feathers fell continuously during its high-speed flight, and pale gold blood sprayed from its wound, trailing a crimson line thousands of meters long behind it. It fled even faster than the serpent beast.

The remaining dozen or so Third-Tier magical beasts, along with the Amons Protector Priests and Protector Envoys, scattered in the same instant.

They fled in different directions—north, west, south, northwest, southwest—no two choosing the same path.

They were all gambling. They gambled that the Third-Tier Wizards of the Wizard World would chase someone else.

Inside the War Fortress.

"Orders!" Wizard Thousand Eyes' voice echoed through the hall. "All Third-Tier Wizards, continue the pursuit of the Amons Third-Tier lifeforms. Leave none alive."

"All Second-Tier Wizards, take command. Priority is to hunt down Amons Second-Tier lifeforms. Form groups of three to support each other. No individual pursuits allowed."

"First-Tier Wizards, your targets are the Amons First-Tier lifeforms. Form groups of five and conduct a carpet-style sweep."

"All Third-Tier Apprentices and cannon fodder legions, organize into clearing phalanxes of ten thousand units. Systematically dismantle the remaining Amons outposts. If you encounter any lifeform of the First-Tier or higher, report immediately. Do not engage."

"Is the communication link to the underground standby forces active?"

"It's up, Lord Thousand Eyes. It was just restored. Orion's strike interfered with the communication arrays, but everything is fully repaired now."

"Good."

...

Meanwhile, in the underground space.

Wizard Jade Blood leaned against the Wizard Tower, her dark red hair draped over her shoulders. Her arms were crossed, and her right foot tapped the ground impatiently.

Over a thousand Official Wizards, both First-Tier and Second-Tier, stood around her. Further out were the dense cannon fodder legions—slaves, contract beasts, and mechanical servants packed the entire underground space, stretching all the way to the edge of the Wizard Tower's radiation range.

They had been waiting here for a long time.

From the beginning, from the moment the War Fortress descended until the battle outside turned into a chaotic mess, they had been waiting right here.

"Why hasn't the order come yet?" A short, stout Second-Tier Wizard behind her couldn't help but speak up, his round face filled with anxiety. "The fight outside is almost over. Are we just going to keep crouching here?"

"Shut up," Jade Blood said without looking back.

The stout wizard opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it and went silent.

Just then, a voice rang out. "Jade Blood, hear your orders."

Wizard Jade Blood snapped to attention.

"All combat units in your division, deploy immediately through the teleportation array. Coordinates sent. Objective: Coordinate with the frontline. Launch a surprise attack from the Amons' rear, cut off their retreat, and assist the main force in completing the encirclement."

A grin slowly spread across Wizard Jade Blood's face.

"Finally, my turn."

She turned around, her dark red eyes sweeping over the massive army behind her.

"All units, listen up! First-Tier Wizards in the front, Second-Tier Wizards in the middle, cannon fodder legions follow! Once you're out there, kill everything! No survivors, no prisoners! Kill until not a single native is left standing!"

"Yes!"

The roar erupted in the underground space, shaking the vines on the ceiling.

Meanwhile, three hundred meters beneath the ground where Orion had caused his upheaval.

Ethan was curled up inside a spherical space woven from vines. The surrounding soil was still vibrating slightly.

He had been crouching here for quite a while.

Orion's earlier move had sucked the life force out of every living thing on the surface for hundreds of thousands of meters. Even several Second-Tier Wizards had died.

If he had been standing on the surface at that time, he wouldn't have been able to explain why he was the only one who survived while everyone else died.

So, while Orion was busy causing chaos, he had burrowed deep underground.

Just then, a command from headquarters suddenly came through the Wizardry Tool in his right ear.

"Ethan Leo, we have confirmed you are within the affected zone. Do you require rescue? The fee for this rescue is 100 magic stones."

Ethan blinked, stunned.

Headquarters was actively contacting him, a mere Third-Tier Apprentice?

This was a first.

But on second thought, Orion's attack had covered hundreds of thousands of meters. Headquarters probably saw that his life signal was still active and was doing a routine check.