The communication link connected far faster than expected.
The mont the light screen lit up, rcer’s flawless face appeared. His silver hair draped over his shoulders, and his crystal-blue eyes were as calm as ever, as if he had been expecting this report all along.
"Master, a massive beast tide has been spotted a thousand kiloters to the west. Total numbers exceed one hundred thousand, with thirty-four Second-level Magical Beasts. They are projected to approach Zone 18 in twenty days." Allen wasted no ti, imdiately laying out the data.
rcer’s crystal-blue eyes shifted slightly.
"You detected this?" A rare ripple of surprise colored his voice. "Your reconnaissance network extends that far already?"
"Just a small improvent," Allen said, cutting to the chase. "Master, this isn’t normal."
"Of course it isn’t." rcer raised his hand, and a massive holographic projection unfolded within Allen’s control room.
"Warnings started coming in from other zones this morning. A plane-wide alert is about to be issued."
It was a miniature map of the entire Molten Iron Mountain Range plane.
Allen only needed one glance for his breath to catch. His mind instantly blared with alarms.
On the holographic map, it wasn’t just the west.
The north, the south, and even the vast, unexplored region to the east were all covered in glaring red blotches. These patches were like malignant tumors, converging on the central Forged Fire Fortress.
"The hundred-thousand-plus Magical Beasts you saw are just the vanguard of the western front," rcer said, his voice flat. "Similar-sized forces have gathered on the northern, southern, and southeastern fronts. They’ve been rging as they advance, swelling to this size in just one night."
"And what you detected was only the most concentrated part of the first wave. More scattered groups are continuously approaching the various territories. Though not as large as the first wave, their numbers are still growing."
Among these red zones, four thick, scarlet pillars of light stood out, impossible to miss.
"Those are four Morning Star-level Magical Beasts."
rcer coldly uttered a term that would drive any Low-tier Wizard to despair.
"Due to their massive energy consumption, Magical Beasts of this level usually lie dormant deep within the plane. So unknown thod was used to awaken them. They’ve appeared in four different directions and are now moving toward the fortress."
"All Magical Beasts in their path will instinctively follow them."
Allen’s fingers tightened slightly. ’Morning Star-level?’
Even the absolute logic of his chanical Mind was suffocated by the sheer difference in power.
"The Son of the Abyss?" Allen guessed.
"Besides them, no one could break the innate hostility between Magical Beasts overnight and forge all the living creatures of this plane into a single army."
A grim, murderous intent shone in Master rcer’s eyes. "He’s been planning this for so long, corrupting these Morning Star-level Magical Beasts with abyssal aura. His intentions are as clear as day."
A cold glint flashed in his crystal-blue eyes.
"Lying dormant on this plane for so many years, he’s now put all his pieces on the board. He’s preparing to launch the final battle, to seize our ore and even the entire plane."
The control room fell silent for a mont.
Allen was the first to break the silence. "Master, Zone 18’s defenses are insufficient to handle an assault of this scale."
He didn’t hide the truth or try to sound tough. In the face of a Morning Star-level enemy, vanity was the most useless thing of all.
"I know," rcer replied crisply. "You aren’t expected to hold against the entire force."
"I will establish an interception line on the western front. My Golem Legion will depart soon. They will block the brunt of the main western force’s assault."
rcer’s finger drew a line on the map—a line roughly eight hundred kiloters west of Zones 18 and 19.
"But you need to understand one fundantal fact."
rcer’s gaze shot through the light screen, pinning Allen with its cold intensity.
"The torrent of the hundred-thousand-strong vanguard on the western front cannot be completely stopped by a single dam. The main force will be weakened and diverted, but a significant number will inevitably slip past the interception line and pour into the various zones."
"Those that get through, I won’t have the attention to spare for them. You will be on your own."
Allen didn’t hesitate. "Understood."
rcer gave him a look, then brought up one last thing.
"Also."
rcer’s voice suddenly grew heavy.
"The beast tide is the obvious threat."
"He paid such a high price to stir up all the Magical Beasts on this plane to stretch my defensive lines, divide my attention, and exhaust your ammunition and Golems."
"There will definitely be other moves to follow."
Allen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"His Black Wizard minions."
"Correct." rcer’s tone was ice-cold. "Last ti, they launched a sneak attack and killed eight First-level Wizards and one Second-level Wizard. This ti will be no different."
"When your Golem Legion has been worn down, when your production capacity is stretched thin—that is when the Black Wizards will reveal themselves."
On the communication screen, rcer’s crystal eyes reflected a cold, blue light.
"Stay alive, Allen," he said.
"War is coming. Only those who survive will earn a seat at the table."
The light screen went dark.
The control room fell silent once more. Only the red dots on the holographic map shared by his Master continued their tireless march eastward.
Allen stood rooted to the spot, like a silent statue.
...
「At the sa ti.」
Sowhere in the unknown lands to the west, toward the rear of the beast tide.
A Morning Star-level Rock Armor Earth Dragon, nearly a kiloter in length, moved in a single direction with a dull look in its eyes, wreathed in black energy.
Perhaps it could no longer be called a Rock Armor Earth Dragon; it was a colossal, walking mountain range.
Its body was covered in cracked rock and massive, exposed scales. With every step, the space for hundreds of ters around it visibly distorted.
Atop its back, as wide as a plain, stood a grotesque throne built from a pile of severed limbs.
A figure shrouded in gray mist was reclining on the throne.
He casually toyed with a still-beating, steaming Magical Beast heart in his hand. His gaze pierced the void, aid far to the east at the fortress of steel.
"rcer... Four Morning Star Magical Beasts. Are you surprised by my little greeting gift?"
The figure in the gray mist let out a low, hoarse sneer.
"My children will tear your students to pieces, one by one. Then, I will personally co to your fortress and take your head."
SPLAT. He casually crushed the heart, and blood dripped through his fingers.
"Go and prepare."
From the shadows at the foot of the flesh-and-blood throne, more than twenty black-robed figures slowly erged. Each one of them radiated the oppressive Magic Power of a Second-level Wizard.
"Don’t be in a hurry to act. Let the beast tide wear them down for a while. After that, you may each choose a zone to strike. Any spoils you claim are yours to keep."
"As you command, Lord Scion."
The black-robed figures instantly lted back into the shadows, as if they had never been there at all.
After they departed, the figure in the gray mist slowly rose to his feet. From beneath his hood, a pair of eyes was revealed.
They were crystal eyes, strikingly similar to rcer’s, but they glowed with a sinister, scarlet light.
"It’s ti you spit back out what you took from , with interest."
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