Chapter 472

On the Nuolun Workshop side, the steel fortress was still "growing" continuously.

This is not rhetoric, but a description of the facts.

Under the continuous work of hundreds of alchemy-type wizards, the outer wall of the fortress was thickening and heightening at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The original height of one hundred meters increased again, and the wall was no longer simple pitch-black metal, but presented a complex composite material texture.

The inner layer is a honeycomb structure for energy absorption, the middle is memory metal for self-repair, and the outer layer is hardened alloy mixed with anti-magic powder.

But this is just one node of Nuolun Workshop's defensive system.

Looking around, with this fortress numbered "7" as the center, on the grey-white wasteland on the left and right sides, every few dozen kilometers, a steel fortress with a similar style but different details stood.

Every fortress was carrying out reinforcement work in sync.

The wizards didn't intend to fight alone from the beginning.

The million-strong wizard army sent by Nuolun Workshop had completed a tight organization before entering the plane.

The entire legion was divided into twelve "battle groups," each battle group under the jurisdiction of ten "large teams," and each large team contained ten "small teams."

The most basic combat unit is a "small team" of ten thousand wizards from Level 3 to Level 5, assisted by several Level 6 wizards and at least one Level 7 wizard.

Fortress 7 is the defensive core of one of the "small teams."

According to pre-war requirements, these fortresses will eventually merge into one, forming a super-large war fortress.

And at this moment, besides logistics-type wizards like Jie Ming who were inside the fortress, more wizards were performing other tasks on the wasteland.

"Third wave ripple trap group, deployment completed."

"Seventh Void Minefield, activated."

"Detection spore cluster, release quantity reached the predetermined standard, began to expand toward the enemy's displacement direction."

Continuous reports echoed in the command center of Fortress 7 through the encrypted spiritual network.

The command center is located thirty meters underground in the fortress, a spherical space with a diameter of fifty meters.

The walls are covered with hundreds of real-time monitoring light screens, displaying battlefield information transmitted from various angles.

Ke La Ke stood in the center of the space, his hands behind his back, his gaze calmly sweeping over those light screens.

What was displayed on the light screens were the work scenes of several vanguard legions.

About one hundred thousand wizards who were good at concealment, traps, and guerrilla warfare were spreading outward in a fan shape starting from Fortress 7.

Through the curse war earlier, both sides already knew the other's area. So these wizards were constantly setting up various deadly traps on the wasteland.

At the same time, a massive number of reconnaissance units were released.

Nano-sized metal construct flying insects, mimic slimes that could blend into the environment, phantom messengers composed purely of light and shadow...

These "cannon fodder" level reconnaissance units expanded outward at an astonishing speed, weaving a monitoring network covering hundreds of kilometers ahead.

"Report."

An emergency communication was connected.

On the light screen appeared a Level 5 wizard wearing light armor with a fresh burn scar on his face.

Behind him was the light of energy explosions flickering continuously, obviously in a combat area.

"Frontline detection post 7, number 114. Enemy main force movement confirmed..."

The wizard's voice was a bit hoarse, but his speaking speed was extremely fast:

"All troops attack. Quantity... minimum estimate 1.5 million, maximum could reach 1.8 million. Marching formation is 'Arrowhead Assault Array', vanguard led by nearly five hundred Level 7 wizards, Level 6 wizards exceed ten thousand. The main force cluster in the rear is accelerating, expected to contact our first trap defense line in forty-seven minutes."

In the picture, one could vaguely see the "black cloud" slowly rising on the distant horizon.

That is the oppressive feeling of millions of wizards rising into the sky at the same time, releasing energy brilliance and flight trajectories intertwined.

In the command center, the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.

Although there was psychological preparation long ago, when this number was truly confirmed, an invisible pressure fell on the hearts of everyone who heard it.

Ke La Ke's expression didn't have any changes.

It was very clear that the opponent also had a part of high-tier wizards who were missing.

But the bad news is that both sides have a part of high-tier combat power missing.

So the number of enemies currently present still exceeds the number of people on the Nuolun Workshop side, making Nuolun Workshop at a disadvantage at every level.

The base-level wizards from Level 3 to Level 5 are only 60% of the opponent's number.

The number of Level 6 wizards and Level 7 wizards is about 70% of the opponent's.

"Simply put," Ke La Ke finally opened his mouth, his voice as calm as stating a fact unrelated to himself, "even if the opponent has a part of high-tier wizards who didn't come, our high-tier combat power is still at a disadvantage."

"That's right."

A voice carrying a smile sounded abruptly beside Ke La Ke.

Space twisted slightly, and Dionysus Spencer's figure stepped out from the void.

There was no trace of worry on this wizard's face, instead, there was a sense of excitement eager to try.

Ke La Ke turned his head and glanced at him.

"Can't you show a little more worry?"

"Worry?" Dionysus laughed, "With the strongest genius in the history of Nuolun Workshop here, what do I have to worry about?"

The volume of the conversation between the two was not loud, but the command center was quiet, and this sentence clearly reached Jie Ming, who was debugging defensive rune nodes not far away.

Jie Ming's movements paused.

He secretly poked Senior Sister Wei Ao beside him—the latter was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, looking at the "black clouds" rapidly approaching on the light screen with great interest.

"Senior Sister," Jie Ming sent a spiritual fluctuation through his gaze, "'The strongest genius in the history of Nuolun Workshop'... such an exaggerated title, who is it?"

Wei Ao turned her head, a look of obvious surprise appearing on her face.

"Don't you know?" She blinked those silver-grey eyes, "Mentor Ke La Ke is the holder of this title."

Jie Ming was stunned.

"But..." He hesitated, "Isn't Star Fall Wizard the first wizard in Nuolun Workshop to get a Level 1 training agreement? Doesn't that mean..."

"It means that the things she researches have significant promotion value for the entire wizard civilization." Wei Ao took over, her tone carrying a matter-of-course feeling, "But Mentor Ke La Ke can't get a Level 1 training agreement because his research cannot be promoted at all, only suitable for a very small number of geniuses, and perhaps only suitable for himself."

She paused, looking at Jie Ming's thoughtful expression, and added:

"This doesn't mean the old man is weak. On the contrary, precisely because his path is unique and cannot be copied, he is recognized as 'the strongest individual genius in history' within the workshop."

Jie Ming wanted to ask more, but Dionysus's voice had already resounded through the entire defensive area through the spiritual link:

"All combat personnel, immediately enter the predetermined combat position!"

"Fortress magic array enters fully activated state!"

"Vanguard legion is retreating, pay attention to support!"

"All units, release cannon fodder legion..."

"Prepare for full engagement!"

The order was like cold water thrown into hot oil, instantly detonating the entire area.

The wizards who were working outside the fortress began to retreat into the fortress in an orderly manner.

The heavy metal gates slowly lowered, and hundreds of millions of defensive runes on the walls lit up one by one, from the foundation to the top, constructing an energy shield that emitted pale golden light.

At the same time, every wizard, regardless of level, began to release the "cannon fodder units" they had prepared.

This is the norm of wizard war.

The duel between high-tier wizards often affects the whole body, requiring concentration.

And those enemy mid-to-low-tier wizards with huge numbers but relatively low threat, as well as various summons and constructs, need to be consumed and contained by their own cannon fodder units.

Outside Fortress 7, the empty wasteland where only ten thousand wizards were active just a minute ago was completely "filled" in just one minute.

No, more than filled.

It was "submerged."

Metal construct giants walked with heavy steps, lining up in formations on the ground, and the energy cannons on their shoulders began to charge.

Elemental summoning arrays unfolded in the air, fire crows, ice wolves, thunder eagles, gargoyles... elemental creatures surged out like a tide.

Flesh-modified war beasts roared, their forms twisted, some with three heads, some covered in bone spurs, some with fleshy wings unfolded behind them.

Parasitic spore clusters permeated like green mist, they would attach to any enemy, absorb vitality, and reproduce rapidly.

There were even more strange existences: assassins composed of shadows, slime monsters that could split, phantom legions condensed purely from sound...

The cannon fodder units released by more than ten thousand wizards easily exceeded the unit of one hundred million, and were still rising rapidly.

The sky was obscured, and the earth was trembling.

Jie Ming also left the command room and came outside.

He closed his eyes, and his consciousness sank into the cave heaven in his body.

There, the legion that had been ready for a long time was waiting for orders.

"Go."

A silent command was issued.

The next second...

Rumble rumble...

On the west side of Fortress 7, in an area with a radius of more than five hundred meters, space suddenly twisted violently.

Then, like a bursting dam, a black torrent poured out from the void.

That is an army.

Giants that were pitch black and covered with flowing liquid metal layers jumped out from the twisted space.

They lined up silently, the lowest height was thirty meters, and the vertical cracks in the chest position opened and closed occasionally, revealing the obsidian-like sharp teeth inside.

A bone-chilling cold emanated from them, which was a low-temperature field caused by continuously absorbing external heat.

Level 5 Black Giants, one million.

Level 6 Black Giants, ten thousand.

And, seven hundred figures floating above the legion, slightly smaller in size but emitting obvious wisdom aura.

They were wearing combat armor engraved with complex runes, holding magic staves condensed from their own secretions in their hands, and rational spiritual light jumping in their eyes.

Black Giant Priests, all seven hundred, all Level 6.

Of the Black Giants brought out from the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, only one hundred priests were kept by Jie Ming in the cave heaven in his body to maintain the operation of the automatic factory and energy circulation system.

The moment this legion appeared, the other cannon fodder units released by other wizards showed obvious "retreat."

That is the instinctive fear of low-level life forms facing high-level existences.

After all, the average energy fluctuation intensity emitted by the Black Giant legion reached Level 5, and it was mixed with tens of thousands of Level 6 pressures.

Except for the cannon fodder units released by high-tier wizards, the cannon fodder units of other wizards all looked too weak in front of Jie Ming's Black Giants.

(Added chapter today, there is one more chapter)

(End of chapter)