From the dome, dozens of massive banners hung from the grid of interwoven vines.
The banners were woven from various colorful plants, each dozens of meters high and hundreds of meters long.
Dark green vines served as the background, with pale yellow flowers forming the text, and the edges were inlaid with dark red moss and silver-white fluorescent grass.
"Welcome, Great Wizards, to Amons World!"
"The Wizard World is Invincible!"
"The Wizard World's Might Shakes the Myriad Realms!"
"A Grand Welcome to the Wizards!"
"Our Deepest Respects for Your Hard Work, My Lords!"
A few banners were even more extravagant, using glowing crystal shards embedded in the vines to create shimmering patterns.
On either side of the banners, thousands of Green Vine Guards were lined up in neat ranks.
They stood shoulder to shoulder in two rows, their vine-woven arms raised high. The leaves at the ends of their vines unfurled, rhythmically clapping together.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
What was even more absurd was that the plaza was filled with flowers.
These flowers had been forced to bloom by Ethan using Plant Growth; they were all the most vibrant wildflowers that could be found in the nearby mountains.
Red, yellow, blue, and purple flowers were piled in layers along both sides of the paths, stretching all the way to the edge of the plaza.
Several arches woven from vines stood among the flowerbeds, with the word "Welcome" spelled out in flowers at the top of each arch.
Wizard Jade Blood's mouth twitched.
Then it twitched again.
Beside her, a balding, stout Wizard reached up to rub his smooth scalp. His lips moved slightly, his expression looking as if he were struggling to swallow back whatever he wanted to say.
A tall, thin Wizard turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the plaza before finally landing on the Green Vine Guards that were still clapping.
"Who built this? Step forward."
Ethan stepped out from the welcoming party.
He walked between the two rows of Green Vine Guards and approached the group of Wizards, his right hand over his chest as he bowed slightly.
"My lords, it was I."
Wizard Jade Blood's gaze fell on his face.
Her dark red eyes swiveled in their sockets, and the thread of her patience nearly snapped.
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
Then she opened it again.
"Ethan?"
Her voice rose half an octave, sounding exceptionally clear in the silent underground space.
Ethan stood up straight, a standard expression of respect still fixed on his face.
"Yes, Lady Jade Blood."
Wizard Jade Blood stared at him for several breaths.
She raised her hand and pointed at the shimmering banners overhead, then at the Green Vine Guards still clapping on both sides, and finally at the mountains of flowers and the arches.
A single sentence squeezed out of her throat.
"You kid... what in the world is all this?"
It wasn't that these Wizards were easily confused; it was just that they had participated in more than one World War.
When was it ever not a matter of life and death?
When did they ever not face the desperate counterattacks of the target world?
When was it ever not a narrow escape from death?
But this time?
It was one thing to be safe.
They had seen Wizard Towers in underground spaces before.
But could someone please explain what was with the banners and the cheerleading squad?
Just as Ethan was about to speak, the balding, stout Wizard beside her finally couldn't hold it in anymore. His shoulders shook violently as several laughs burst from his mouth.
He quickly tried to cover it with a cough and turned his head away, though his shoulders were still trembling.
The tall, thin Wizard looked at the banners expressionlessly. His gaze lingered on the one that said "A Grand Welcome to Wizard Jade Blood" for an extra two seconds, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Wizard Jade Blood took a deep breath.
Then she laughed.
"Fine, you certainly know how to put on a show, kid."
She strode up to Ethan and patted him on the shoulder twice. The force was so great that the stone floor beneath Ethan's feet vibrated slightly.
However, compared to a year ago, Ethan's physique had been so strengthened by her secret technique that the impact felt like little more than a light breeze. It wasn't a problem.
"Oh? You're in good shape. It seems you've been practicing my secret technique well?"
"Yes. Thanks to your technique, Director, I've escaped death several times."
Wizard Jade Blood nodded and turned to wave at the Wizards behind her.
"Alright, alright, stop staring. The war has just begun; we need to get to the front lines to provide support."
As her voice fell, the Wizards who were still looking up at the banners withdrew their gazes and went their separate ways.
They had to complete the most critical step before joining the battle: comprehending the laws of Amons World and modifying their own energy particle fluctuation frequencies.
If they didn't complete this step, their strength would drop to less than a tenth of its potential once they left the radiation range of the Wizard Towers.
They were a surprise force. Only when the main battlefield reached a fever pitch and neither side could withdraw would it be time for them to strike from the enemy's heart and decide the outcome with a single blow.
Ethan watched Wizard Jade Blood's back disappear into the distance before turning to walk toward the teleportation array.
The ring of light flared, and a sensation of weightlessness spread up from his feet.
His surroundings blurred and spun, becoming clear again after a few breaths.
The moment he stepped onto the ground of the fortress, Ethan's footsteps came to a sudden halt.
Outside the protective shield overhead, dozens of massive projection screens hovered in mid-air, reflecting the battlefield below from different angles.
Each screen was hundreds of meters wide, lighting up the entire fortress dome as if it were broad daylight.
The War Fortress had landed on a vast plain.
This plain had already been soaked in blood.
The pale blue blood of the Amons and the dark red blood of Humans had mixed together, staining the entire earth a bizarre brownish-green.
The Amons were everywhere, packed together in dense clusters.
As far as the eye could see, pale blue figures covered the entire plain, stretching from the edge of the War Fortress all the way to the horizon.
Beside the Amons were the various magical beasts they kept.
Massive four-legged behemoths stood over five meters tall at the shoulder, their bodies covered in rock-like scales. Every step they took shook the ground.
Winged creatures circled at low altitudes, their wingspans reaching a full ten meters, their shadows moving rapidly across the ground.
Translucent spirit entities floated half a meter above the ground, pale blue spots of light constantly dissipating from the edges of their bodies.
Countless war machines and war bastions stood tall on the plain.
Those bastions were constructed from dark brown timber and grayish-white stone, their surfaces carved with emerald-green runic patterns.
Massive ballistae were mounted atop the bastions, their bolts as thick as a man's waist and wrapped in glowing vines.
Catapults constantly hurled emerald-green energy orbs. Every orb that hit the ground exploded into a crater over ten meters wide, sending shards of stone and earth flying in all directions along with severed limbs.
The War Fortress sat at the center of the plain. Outside its protective shield, the countless forces under the Wizard world and the Amons World were locked in a frantic battle.
There was no testing of the waters.
No communication.
From the very beginning, everyone was fighting with total madness.
Slaves poured out from the dense network of tunnels at the base of the War Fortress, spreading out in all directions like a flood bursting through a dam.
Some held standardized longblades, some carried metal shields, and some were empty-handed, clutching only two dark red crystals.
Contract beasts charged out through the gaps in the slave ranks.
Massive four-legged behemoths collided with the Amons' magical beasts, the sounds of shattering bones and tearing flesh blending into a single roar.
Flying contract beasts tore at the Amons' flying creatures in mid-air, as feathers, scales, and severed limbs rained down from the sky.
Spirit-type contract beasts turned into pale blue silhouettes, weaving through the enemy ranks. Wherever they passed, the skin of the Amons warriors withered and blackened at a speed visible to the naked eye.
...
Rate on N.U.
