Richard stared blankly at the spot where Morik had been, just as the chains shattered. The Spatial Rift that had been beneath Morik suddenly surged upward, swallowing him like a bag.
"Is that... it?" Richard said, somewhat incredulously.
It seemed rather hasty to teleport Fire Lizard King Morik away so easily.
"Ha, don't underestimate this method. Your Hellfire Grand Wizard has a strong grasp of spatial rules; many of our titled beings with 'God of Space' in their names are not as skilled as he is."
As a former World Master and a deity of the divine realm, Ulysses had a deeper understanding of the Great Wizard's abilities than Richard did.
Richard casually closed the Secret Realm rift. Without Fire Lizard King, this position was still quite safe. Moreover, the battlefields of the two Great Wizards were far from them, allowing Ulysses to take action. When the fighting started, he should be able to collect some specimens.
On the opposite side of Position 19, a considerable number of Fire Lizards had gathered, including elite units like Dragon Guard Warriors and Dragon Curse Warlocks.
The elites among these Fire Lizards would undoubtedly become rare specimens in the future, excellent for both collection and research.
In the Fire Lizard camp, the Fire Lizard commander looked at the suddenly vanished Fire Lizard King with a gloomy expression.
According to their plan, Fire Lizard King was supposed to destroy the fortress city, which was as solid as a copper wall and iron bastion, allowing their army to charge straight in and strike at the heart.
Although they had anticipated many scenarios, the situation where Fire Lizard King was teleported away without launching a single attack was truly beyond their expectations.
"My lord, good news." A Fire Lizard clad in golden armor entered the command room.
"Mm?" The commander turned to the newcomer, his neck creaking, "What good news could there possibly be at this time?"
The golden-armored Fire Lizard nodded, "My lord, His Majesty's earlier attack was not entirely ineffective. According to observations from the frontline Fire Lizards, although His Majesty did not unleash his full strength, some Wizards were still killed by the force of his punch. Many Fire Lizards witnessed Wizards exploding into pieces."
The Fire Lizard commander was momentarily taken aback, then he was overjoyed.
"Immediately notify the troops to launch an attack according to the backup plan!"
The Fire Lizard commander walked to the observation point, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes.
After thirty-five years of war, it was time to bring it to an end.
...
The appearance of Fire Lizard King marked the climax of this major counteroffensive. After the first round of counterattacks, the Fire Lizards had reclaimed a significant amount of territory. However, correspondingly, the battlefront that the Wizards had to deal with had also shrunk considerably.
The average Wizard density in the second line of defense was much higher than in the first, meaning that the difficulty for the Fire Lizards to break through the defenses had skyrocketed.
With the hope of breaking through the defenses dashed, the Fire Lizards had no choice but to continue this meat grinder-like battle.
"Support convoy, I need you to cover Position A with firepower. All support vehicles, launch!"
The commander's order came through the Communication Crystal Ball, and the Wizards controlling the Magic Support Vehicles quickly adjusted the angles of their cannons. Adjusting the angles served two purposes: one was to ensure the fireballs hit the intended targets accurately, and the other was to make the distribution of fireballs more even, preventing them from all landing in a palm-sized area.
As the support convoy formed up and adjusted their angles, the captains of the three convoys issued the launch command.
"Target Position A, angle 32, distance fifty-two. Three, two, one, launch!"
...Boom!
Three teams of Magic Support Vehicles unleashed a total of fifty-four thousand fireballs upon the vanguard of the Fire Lizard siege forces within thirty seconds.
Shield-bearing warriors raised their large shields, forming a shield wall in an attempt to withstand the terrifying rain of fire, but fifty-four thousand was a number that exceeded their limits.
The Wizards had not used the White Wizard Legion in an organized manner since the war turned into a static battle, and these Fire Lizards had somewhat forgotten how the Wizards had gradually taken their land and harvested their lives piece by piece with spells!
Boom...
The battlefield commander watched the magical support from the convoy, momentarily stunned.
This was his first time using the support convoy. Before this, he had heard from many Wizards just how effective the Magic Support Vehicles were.
Now that he saw it, those Wizards were absolutely right.
"This won't do; I need to report back and recommend more procurement of such excellent weapons. The effects are outstanding."
The rain of fireballs from the support convoy lasted only thirty seconds. After that, the seemingly endless army of Fire Lizards reappeared in the commander's view, and behind them, a massive Dragon Turtle was slowly approaching the position.
The commander took out a crystal ball and commanded the Wizards on the other side, "Bring out the Lesser Disintegration Cannon and aim it at those big guys."
...
While the mortals fought fiercely, the battles of the "gods" were no less intense.
In the sky, the Hellfire Grand Wizard wielded a skeletal staff, holding his own against two opponents without losing ground.
As an old Wizard born during the Enlightenment period, he had witnessed Wizards emerge from their cradle and hunt among the stars. During this time, he had seen many powerful natives.
Some of those natives were born as World Masters, using rules as easily as humans eat and drink; others wielded weapons left by The Lost Ones, weapons so terrifying they could easily kill a Great Wizard; and some natives were simply biological weapons of The Lost Ones...
Compared to these powerful natives, the two fifth-level World Masters before him were rather unremarkable.
He had specimens of pureblood dragons of the fifth level, and he looked down on the two Dragonbloods tainted with Dragon Blood.
As he watched Morik's fist coming toward him, the Hellfire Grand Wizard lightly waved his staff, just managing to block it with a magical shield. On the other side, Linksa aimed five heads simultaneously at the Hellfire Grand Wizard, and five golden Dragon Breaths instantly engulfed the Hellfire Grand Wizard's figure.
But before he could feel pleased, a skeletal staff shot out from the Dragon Breath, knocking Linksa's head askew.
As the Dragon Breath dissipated, the Hellfire Grand Wizard looked at the crystal ball in his hand, which sealed the golden flames, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Integrating the rules of the Crimson Sun World into the dragon flames is indeed useful."
Linksa's expression darkened. This Dragon Breath was something even the other two Fire Lizard Kings had never seen before. Yet this Wizard had managed to block it so casually on his first encounter.
He was certain that if it weren't for the two-on-one situation, he would have surely fallen today.
"Are you still not going all out?" the Hellfire Grand Wizard said indifferently. "I know the relationship you two had in the past. I watched the memories of those dragons that escaped from the Crimson Sun World. If those dragons weren't suffering from dementia, you should have had a combination technique back then.
After all these years, have you forgotten it, or do you think I'm unworthy of your efforts? If it's the former, then I won't hold back."
With that, the Hellfire Grand Wizard's body suddenly grew larger, his elemental form exceeding a hundred meters, and every movement stirred up a faint Elemental Storm.
Seeing this, the two Fire Lizard Kings felt a heavy weight in their hearts.
The Hellfire Grand Wizard's power far exceeded their expectations.
Linksa looked at Morik and uttered a long-forgotten title.
"Brother, it's up to you now."
Morik was momentarily taken aback by the words, then suddenly burst into laughter, and his momentum began to rise with that laughter.
He looked at Linksa, his gaze resolute, "Third brother, leave it to me from here on!"
With that, he lunged at Linksa, and as their bodies collided, they fused together.
Intricate golden patterns spread from Morik's heart, quickly dyeing his entire body gold.
"Oh? This is... Dragon Alchemy?"
The Hellfire Grand Wizard watched this astonishing scene, finally intrigued. He immediately recognized the essence of this fusion; it was a merging of flesh and blood, a unification of spirit, completely entrusting oneself to another.
This kind of fusion could cause a being's power to surge instantly, even potentially breaking through life levels.
After the fusion, Morik's strength and aura reached their peak.
At this moment, Morik possessed the ability to kill the Hellfire Grand Wizard.
Morik looked at the Hellfire Grand Wizard, his voice sounding as if it were a blend of both their voices.
"Wizards, I will place your head atop my pyramid as my most glorious and precious trophy."
"Is that so?" the Hellfire Grand Wizard replied coolly. "Then should I place my head on Linksa's pyramid or Morik's pyramid?"
"…"
Morik fell silent for a moment, then suddenly flashed in front of the Hellfire Grand Wizard's true form, his golden fist creating minute cracks in space with sheer force.
"We will build another pyramid!"
...
On the other side of the battle line, Frost Grand Wizard and Minar were engaged in a "trust exercise."
One was on the offensive, the other on the defensive, causing snow to fly across the Crimson Sun World, a sight the Fire Lizards below had never witnessed in their lifetimes.
Frost Grand Wizard raised his staff, and a massive magic circle instantly appeared beneath him. With a wave of his staff, accompanied by a rumbling sound, a towering iceberg rapidly formed beside him.
However, just as the iceberg was taking shape, a more domineering force suddenly descended. Minar's fist, carrying a world-destroying momentum, struck heavily at the waist of the iceberg. In less than a millisecond, the entire iceberg shattered as if struck by a giant hammer.
But Frost Grand Wizard had already taken the opportunity to escape thousands of meters away.
Minar coldly watched Frost Grand Wizard. He could clearly sense that this Wizard's strength was not on par with his own; if he landed a solid punch, he could kill him.
Yet this Wizard was as slippery as an eel, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't land a solid hit.
It was increasingly frustrating.
Frost Grand Wizard, unfazed, said, "Minar, do you want to continue? This battle is meaningless. You can't kill me in a short time, and if you can't kill me quickly, you won't affect the overall situation.
The real battlefield that decides victory or defeat is on the other side."
Facing a fifth-level World Master, Frost Grand Wizard appeared relaxed on the surface, but his spirit was highly tense.
To him, Minar was like a one-punch man; one punch could end him before even the Hellfire Grand Wizard could save him.
Minar remained silent, his right fist glowing with brilliant light once more.
His tone resolute, he declared, "Then I will kill you as quickly as possible and go help my brother!"
(End of Chapter)