On the plains, Harash gazed at the immense shadow gradually appearing in the sky, a sense of unease flashing through his mind.
As the newly appointed Grand Marshal of the Morik Empire, he had fought countless battles with the other two empires, encountering all manner of strange and unusual tactics.
From massive dragon beasts to resurrected undead dragons, he had relied on his exceptional combat skills and loyal subordinates to defeat them all.
He also believed that any battle he faced could be won with these resources.
But today, his confidence wavered.
In the sky, two colossal metal spheres, each with a diameter of several tens of thousands of meters, were slowly entering their world. Such enormous machines, even when compared to the Fire Lizard King's pyramid, seemed like small huts.
However, as the commander-in-chief, Harash knew he couldn't panic. If the commander panicked, then there was no point in fighting the battle.
Harash looked stoically at the two Fire Lizards standing next to him. They were similar in height to him, but their life radiation and energy fluctuations were weaker.
They were the generals from the other two empires. Six months ago, the three major empires had reached an agreement. When it was confirmed that the wizards would enter the world at the Morik Empire's Bavarian Plains, the other two empires each sent a 500,000-strong Fire Lizard army to assist in the battle.
But no matter which empire it was, they all had their own agendas.
The outcome of this opening battle would determine the next moves of the three empires.
Voom!
An invisible pulse spread from the sky as the floating cities finally breached the world's barrier.
"Prepare for battle. Dragon Breath Cannons, ready."
Harash calmly gave the orders, and they quickly spread to the millions-strong Fire Lizard army via messengers.
"Lord Harash, you're using the Dragon Breath Cannons right from the start. Are you getting too anxious?" a Fire Lizard general from the Linksa Empire asked.
This general's voice, laced with the characteristic "hissing" sound of the black-horned Fire Lizard of Linksa, sounded like a cold, venomous snake flicking its tongue in one's ear.
"Barashar, are you questioning my decision?" Harash shot a cold look at the Fire Lizard who had voiced his concerns.
The three empires had been in conflict with one another for years, and as a marshal, Harash had crossed blades with the Linksa Empire's generals countless times. Barashar, the one voicing the doubt, was one of Harash's defeated subordinates.
In fact, not many generals in Linksa Empire had escaped Harash's defeat.
"Not at all, not at all. I would never dare question the Marshal's orders," Barashar replied sarcastically. "I'm simply curious why the brave and fearless Lord Harash would be so wary of these outsiders. Why pull out the Dragon Breath Cannons, the ultimate weapon, right at the start?"
As a general, Barashar's knowledge of the wizards was far less than Harash's.
"You'd better keep your curiosity to yourself. War doesn't need curiosity, and I don't need a curious subordinate. If you question my orders again, I'll have your head served to the dragon beasts!" Harash didn't mince words, his body releasing a powerful dragon aura that made the scales of all the Fire Lizards in the war room tighten.
Under the force of the dragon's presence, Barashar's legs gave way, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
The pressure from a dragon is suffocating to all dragon-blooded beings, and the intensity of the bloodline determines their rank in dragon kin society.
"Lord Harash, don't waste your time with Barashar. The black-horned Fire Lizard is always this way, with a mouth tougher than his bones." A Fire Lizard across from Barashar, wearing a white robe and looking physically nimble, mocked.
Harash glanced at him. "Maihan, have your men ready the Corrupted Dragons, and stand by for my command."
Maihan, a Fire Lizard from the Myas Empire, was also one of Harash's defeated subordinates. Unlike Barashar, he showed great obedience to Harash's orders.
"Your will, Lord Harash," Maihan replied, signaling a messenger to relay Harash's orders.
Harash approached the edge of the war room, looking at the two massive objects in the sky slowly pushing through the world's barrier.
He called for a messenger. "Relay the order. Dragon Breath Bombardment, three rounds of fire."
"Yes!"
...
The floating cities continued to enter the world. Richard stood at the edge, quietly observing the grand battle that was about to begin.
Although as a technical advisor, Richard also had to enter the battlefield, it was clear that his magical support vehicle wouldn't be of much use in this opening battle.
So for now, he was free to stand with the members of the Wizard Guild, gazing down at the battlefield from the floating city.
Boom!
The ground beneath Richard's feet suddenly shook.
Tens of thousands of red fireballs were launched from the native army below, all smashing into the lower half of the two floating cities.
The fireballs appeared large, each about four meters in radius. The weapon launching them was a giant turtle-like creature with structures resembling volcanoes on its back.
"War beasts, strategic weapons. These natives don't seem too weak," Bob, standing next to Richard, remarked with interest.
"This is going to be quite a show."
"A show?" Richard frowned slightly, displeased with Bob's wording. "Bob, this is a war, a war where tens of thousands of wizards are going to die. Using the word 'show' sounds quite disrespectful."
Bob grinned and adjusted his monocle.
"Richard, I apologize for the poor choice of words. But you and I can't deny that war, in a certain sense, is indeed an art. It has a brutal beauty to it."
"Beauty?"
Richard thought back to his massacre in the depths of the Insect Nest world, the cruel final battle.
"I think Bob, you might have forgotten what war is like. Watching a battle from the floating city is very different from being in the thick of it."
Bob shrugged, not bothering to reply.
The fireballs from the natives posed no significant threat to the floating city. As a technological marvel crafted by alchemists, every part of the floating city contained the wisdom of wizards.
Although the lower half of the floating city lacked magical barriers, all its alloy components were coated with high-temperature-resistant layers.
These fireballs, while large and menacing, merely created a few small craters on the floating city.
"Deploy the Mixed Slave Legion."
Richard's communication crystal sent out the command from the command center. The first axe of the wizard's interdimensional expedition had been struck.
As an exit opened at the bottom of the floating city, countless strange creatures poured out.
These creatures included both organic beings and elemental creatures, and Richard even saw some familiar faces.
"The slaves from the Insect Nest World are being deployed this quickly?"
Richard watched as the slaves, particularly the black crystal insects, stood out among the others. These insects were directed by the high-priest insects, with warrior insects serving as soldiers and queen-beetles acting as guards. Their movements were highly coordinated, making them stand out in the chaos of the other slave creatures.
"No wonder every great wizard wants a slave world. The slave legions produced in these worlds are far stronger than regular slaves."
Bob, hearing Richard's mutter, became curious and asked, "Richard, you've seen these insects? They seem quite strong. Do you have any connections?"
Slave trading is one of the most profitable businesses in the wizard world. A good slave can be worth anywhere from a few magic crystals to several tens of magic crystals. Almost every wizard guild deals in slave trade.
"These insects come from a slave world. I didn't expect to see them here on the battlefield," Richard said with a hint of nostalgia.
More than a century ago, he fought for his life against these insects. Now, over a hundred years later, they had become his allies.
"Oh? The Frost Archmage has gained a slave world!" Bob exclaimed, surprised. "I haven't heard of the Frost Archmage participating in an interdimensional war recently."
Richard glanced at him. "I didn't say the Frost Archmage has a slave world. This world still has resistance forces that haven't been wiped out. If you're thinking about becoming a middleman, you'd better give up on that idea."
"I was just asking. Our Nine Stars Guild doesn't specialize in slave trading."
Bob grinned broadly, but inside, he was already recalling the records of all the expeditions from the past two hundred years.
Richard had been quite tight-lipped about his identity because of the clauses in their military agreement. After all, if the wizard guilds knew his true identity, they might stir up trouble.
Every resource in a new world was incredibly valuable, and there was only so much of it to go around. The fewer people who knew, the more for the others.
So, while Bob knew Richard had designed the magical support vehicle, he had no idea about the rest of his background.
However, Bob didn't care much for Richard's identity. The Nine Stars Guild was a young guild, and they could only hope to get a small piece of the resource pie.
Even if he learned Richard's true identity, Bob would simply try to get closer to him. After all, the magical support vehicle had shown potential for making money.
...
Watching the slave legion descend from the sky, Harash gave the order to his army to engage.
The Fire Lizards, clad in black metal armor, armed with scimitars and spears, attacked the slave legion with precision.
Organization is a key measure of a military's strength. Regular armies always annihilate a disorganized mob of soldiers.
The mixed slave legion, being a group of disorganized fighters, was like waves crashing against rocks.
No matter how fierce the waves, they could only break against the rocks.
Watching the slave legion easily held off by the Fire Lizard army, Harash felt no joy.
His instincts told him that these creatures called wizards would not be so weak.
As the slave legion slowly wore down, reports continued to come through from the wizards' crystal balls.
"The world is temporarily named Red Sun World. The magic concentration is five times that of the wizard world. The concentration of fire elements in the air is high, causing some elemental corrosion damage to the body. Immunity is achieved at a physical constitution of 55."
"This species is temporarily named Fire Lizard. The combat members are between two and three meters tall, with an initial physical constitution around 70. They have a dragon-like breath attack with fire elements, estimated to be at 300 energy units. However, there are certain fire lizards with higher breath attack power."
"This species is proficient in using scimitars and spears, dealing cutting and piercing damage. Their tails cause blunt damage. Their elemental resistance is low, but they have high resistance to fire elements. It is re
commended to use magic to defeat them."
...
"More than half of the mixed slave legion has been depleted. The White Wizard army is ready!"
---
(End of Chapter 213)