The Hellfire Grand Wizard continuously increased his barriers, and at this moment, the space around him was locked by the weapons positioned there.
He could not move, could not escape, and could only stand like a target, allowing the weapons to attack him.
But at this moment, there was no fear in the heart of the Hellfire Grand Wizard; his gaze pierced through the veil of space and directly saw the weapon hidden in the crevice of space.
It was a golden crystal creation, resembling a towering spire.
If he could survive, then this weapon would belong to him!
The value of this weapon was greater than the entire Crimson Sun World.
The crystal tower had finished charging, and a beam of golden light shot from the tip of the tower into the void, enveloping the Hellfire Grand Wizard like holy light.
Under the golden light, the barriers of the Hellfire Grand Wizard melted away like ice and snow.
One layer, two layers, three layers... This golden light broke through thirty-six barriers in succession, shining upon the Hellfire Grand Wizard's true form.
In an instant, a shrill, inhuman scream erupted from the Hellfire Grand Wizard, but amidst this wailing, some could faintly hear... laughter.
Morik stared blankly at this scene, as memories of the past wiped away the dust and reappeared in his mind.
Linksa, the Fire Lizard King of the Linksa Empire, his former brother, his closest comrade.
They had once raised a rebellion against the dragons, only to be divided by power and brotherhood.
Now, he had given up his empire, given up his life, choosing to perish alongside the Wizard.
He had imagined many scenarios for the deaths of these two brothers, but the scene before him was something he had never envisioned in millions of years.
A tear fell from the corner of Morik's eye.
The game of vying for supremacy should come to an end.
"Caw caw caw caw caw…"
Just as Morik came to this realization, a strange laugh made his scales stand on end.
The Wizard was not dead yet!
As the golden light dissipated, the Hellfire Grand Wizard, now reduced to just a head, laughed heartily as he looked toward the source of the golden light. At this moment, his Wizard robe had vanished, and the skeletal staff made from the bones of numerous World Masters had melted away significantly, leaving him with only a head, weakened beyond measure compared to before.
Yet he was laughing.
Morik flashed to the side of the Hellfire Grand Wizard, radiating intense heat.
Since he was not dead, he would strike again!
But a Spatial Rift suddenly appeared before him, and countless tentacles reached out from within, swallowing him whole.
Unbeknownst to him, a previously opened leather scroll had appeared beside the Hellfire Grand Wizard, emanating an aura that made the space tremble.
"Blind fools, wasting a Truth Scroll on me."
The Hellfire Grand Wizard conjured an arm, slicing open a Spatial Rift, and entered the space where the golden crystal tower was located. The Great Wizard attempted to take it, only to find that the crystal tower seemed to be connected to the crevice of space.
For a moment, he could not take this thing away.
"Forget it, I'll come back for it once I'm healed."
The Hellfire Grand Wizard dissipated his arm, and a Spatial Rift appeared before him, revealing the Frost Grand Wizard on the other side.
Minal sensed something was wrong and instantly sprouted a pair of dragon wings from his back.
The Hellfire Grand Wizard crossed the space, the remaining skull burning with hellish flames, descending beside the Frost Grand Wizard like a demon from hell.
The Frost Grand Wizard said nothing more; with a wave of his ice crystal staff, several magic circles appeared around Minal.
Blue ice crystal chains extended from the magic circles, ready to bind Minal in place.
The Hellfire Grand Wizard reformed his body, and on the half-melted skeletal staff, countless mysterious runes flowed incessantly, as if brewing some extraordinary spell.
Minal was uncertain about the strength of the two before him, hesitating whether to continue the fight.
In the next moment, two Spatial Rifts opened before him, and a massive surge of energy poured out.
The main cannon of the Floating City was already prepared.
The cannon's bombardment became the last straw that broke Minal's back; he shattered the ice crystal chains binding him, unfurling his dragon wings to escape the range of the Floating City's main cannon.
Minal looked at the Hellfire Grand Wizard, who was brewing a spell, let out a dragon roar, and retreated back to the capital of the Minal Empire.
Seeing this scene, the Hellfire Grand Wizard felt a slight sense of relief.
If the battle continued, he might not be able to subdue this Fire Lizard after all.
"Qing Shuang, I need to rest for a while. That Fire Lizard named Morik has been trapped in a piece of spatial debris by my Truth Scroll for thirty years. During these thirty years, you will occupy the entire Linksa Empire.
Also, during this time, open the portal of the Floating City and replenish the number of Wizards. Don't worry about the cost; the prices in this world are sufficient."
The voice of the Hellfire Grand Wizard was somewhat weak; the damage from the weapon of the forerunner was immense, and without several thousand years, he feared he would not recover to his peak state.
But the value of that crystal tower was enough to compensate for his losses.
"Understood. Should I invite other masters to help? Teacher, your injuries…" the Frost Grand Wizard asked with concern.
"It's nothing; it's just my body that's destroyed. It will take some time to make a new one. This level of injury won't put me to sleep," the Hellfire Grand Wizard said casually. "During this time, prepare yourself, and when you're ready, wake me up."
The Frost Grand Wizard was momentarily taken aback, instantly understanding his teacher's meaning.
The Hellfire Grand Wizard's injuries were severe enough that even he felt he might fall into a slumber, let alone Minal, a native. This could be fully utilized.
The Frost Grand Wizard admired this thought and repeatedly agreed.
The Hellfire Grand Wizard nodded, then opened a Spatial Rift and vanished from the battlefield.
He was relatively at ease with his student.
...
The battle of the great figures came to an end just like that. Fire Lizard King Linksa fell, Fire Lizard King Morik disappeared, and the Wizard side also suffered significant losses; the severe injuries of the Hellfire Grand Wizard directly deprived the Wizards of their ability to conquer the world.
The war seemed to be on the verge of a stalemate again.
But contrary to most people's expectations, the anticipated stalemate did not occur.
Not long after the great battle ended, all the Wizards within the Morik Empire retreated into the Floating City, following it to the Linksa Empire. The Minal Empire did not respond to this; Fire Lizard King Minal stood atop the pyramid, gazing at the Floating City where the Hellfire Grand Wizard was.
He was waiting.
The aura of the Hellfire Grand Wizard grew weaker by the day, and the moment his aura vanished would signal the time to sound the horn of counterattack.
During this time, he needed to stabilize the internal affairs of the Fire Lizard.
With a thought, a level three Fire Lizard appeared beside him.
"Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
Minal glanced at the newcomer and slowly spoke, "Mahan, take people to seize the Morik Empire. Right now, Morik is trapped by that Wizard, and we don't know when he will come out; his empire will naturally be for my use."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"... By the way, bring that Fire Lizard named Harash, along with his son Azuhan, and my little niece Akala.
They are all talents of our clan."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
...
Linksa Empire
With the descent of the second Floating City, a continuous stream of synthetic beast legions emerged from it.
The synthetic beast legion was a cannon fodder army for offense; in defensive battles, these synthetic beasts were of little use.
Over the years, the Wizards had been in a defensive war, accumulating an unknown number of synthetic beasts.
Now that they were about to attack, these synthetic beasts poured out from the Floating City like an ocean.
The war airships reopened, the White Wizard Legion reformed its ranks, and the Fire Lizard King of the Linksa Empire had fallen, while many of his Fire Lizard generals had followed him in death.
However, the vast majority of the remaining Fire Lizards were acutely aware of one thing.
The Crimson Sun World was about to change.
Without a Fire Lizard King, relying solely on these ordinary Fire Lizards could not sustain a Fire Lizard Empire.
They had to quickly find a way out for themselves.
Thus, a large number of nobles from the Linksa Empire fled to the Minal Empire, including many generals and ministers.
Meanwhile, those ordinary Fire Lizards who could not make it to the Minal Empire fell into complete despair.
A large number of Fire Lizard armies, without leaders, transformed en masse into bandits and marauders. The combat power of these Fire Lizard warriors was a devastating blow to ordinary civilians; even if the common people wished to resist, their efforts were mere child's play in the face of absolute power.
Among the Linksa Empire's army, there were also many maintaining order, such as Barashar, the commander of the Dragon Beast Knight Order.
But the empire was vast, and with Wizards attacking from outside, Barashar could only manage to ensure the security of Luxor Province and a few surrounding provinces with all his might.
He was powerless to do more.
The fall of the empire had already become a foregone conclusion...
"Are you going to sleep?"
Richard looked at Ulysses, his brow furrowing involuntarily.
Ulysses had previously said he would just take a short nap, but this time his words were about falling into a deep sleep.
This was unusual.
"Caw, it won't be long, at most about ten years," Ulysses replied somewhat lethargically.
At this moment, he was forcing himself to speak with Richard.
"Ten years…"
Richard couldn't help but rub his brow; this was the best time to make money in the Linksa Empire.
Without Ulysses by his side, his plans to make money would surely be greatly affected.
"Caw, just be careful. You've already won this war; that green fire skeleton is just trying to trap that Fire Lizard."
As Ulysses spoke, his eyes gradually closed, and just before his eyelids fully shut, he offered his final advice.
"Caw, during this time, save me some Fire Lizard heads; they taste really good…"
Richard's expression darkened at this; even in sleep, he was thinking about food.
He placed Ulysses back in his usual sleeping nest and instructed the nearby Holy Tree Sprite to serve Ulysses as usual during this time.
Stepping out of the Secret Realm, the distant White Wizard Legion was continuously casting spells. The roars of spells and the screams of Fire Lizards drifted into Richard's ears with the gentle breeze.
He took a deep breath and slowly flew toward the battlefield.
(End of Chapter)