Chapter 37: The Squad and Riley (Please keep reading, please add to favorites, and please recommend)

Chapter 37

On the battlefield, guns and cannons are blind, but the sorcery of wizards is even more so.

The spells of formal wizards are mostly large-scale area-of-effect magic. Every casting produces terrifying shockwaves that instantly tear the earth apart, and the pervasive fluctuations of energy make their power unpredictable.

For those wizard apprentices, facing such sorcery meant that death was almost an inevitable conclusion; even standing slightly out of position could result in being torn to shreds in an instant.

As the sorcery continuously erupted, the battlefield transformed into a silent purgatory. The lingering scent of mana permeated the air, while severed limbs and corpses littered the ground.

Pits of all sizes riddled the battlefield, as if the land itself had been deeply branded by magical power.

Lynn was very careful about his positioning, maintaining a certain distance from the formal wizards.

Even so, by the time he escaped from a round of intense magical fluctuations, more than half of the energy in the Heart of Language had been consumed before he finally managed to find a relatively safe position.

"How dangerous..."

Lynn took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping the surroundings while looking up at the battle in the sky.

In a transcendent world, what truly decides the outcome of a war is often the duel between the strongest.

At this moment, the Black Dragon Witch, Estri, was fighting two Level 3 Archmages simultaneously.

Despite her elegant figure and indifferent expression, her strength was undoubtedly suppressing her opponents.

Although the two Level 3 Archmages were casting spells in tandem, unleashing wave after wave of sorcery, they appeared somewhat overwhelmed under the immense pressure of the Black Dragon Witch, and the tide was gradually shifting.

From the aerial combat, the advantage held by the Forge side was growing, and this advantage was continuing to expand.

More reinforcements arrived in an endless stream. Wizards cast powerful spells, and more enchanted items joined the fray.

Lynn caught sight of a group of apprentices collaborating to move a massive mechanical device that looked remarkably like a giant cannon.

Several apprentices quickly loaded shells into the breech, then suddenly fired a shot aimed directly at the Nightshade Bunker.

The moment the shell exploded, the sound was earth-shattering. The shockwave swept through the surroundings, killing many Nightshade Bunker apprentices on the spot and destroying a large portion of their positions.

Boom!

After a massive explosion, the defensive line of the Nightshade Bunker was directly breached, with one corner reduced to ruins.

But this was merely one corner of the battlefield; enchanted items elsewhere were also continuing to exert immense destructive power.

From a distance, Lynn saw strange aerial devices hovering above the battlefield. These devices released extremely intense energy fluctuations, continuously suppressing the Nightshade Bunker's defenses.

The resource gap between the Forge and the Nightshade Bunker was being displayed in vivid detail.

Although the Nightshade Bunker possessed powerful Level 3 wizards and a deep foundation, compared to the Level 4 power of the Forge, they were clearly still stuck in relatively primitive combat methods.

The Forge not only possessed elite formal wizards but had also developed modernized warfare tools such as infantry-tank coordination. Their precision in tactical cooperation and their destructive power far exceeded the individual combat capabilities of the Nightshade Bunker.

………………………………

"You, follow me!"

Just then, a Forge squad suddenly appeared behind Lynn and the nearby apprentices. The leader of the group was a powerful Level 3 wizard apprentice.

His aura was even stronger than Colin's. Through his crystal ball, Lynn sensed that the man's mental strength had actually reached 39 points, higher than most people he had encountered before.

The squad quickly incorporated Lynn and the other apprentices, gathering them toward a concealed corner.

The captain pointed toward the side hall of the Nightshade Bunker and gave a brief instruction

"The target is there. The Forge's enchanted tools have already broken the Nightshade Bunker's defenses into pieces. The external formations have been destroyed; everyone can enter."

At this moment, the main forces of the battlefield were engaged in fierce combat, with powerful wizards from both sides fighting intensely on the main front.

Under these circumstances, the treasure grounds inside the Nightshade Bunker had instead become a relatively safe area. One of the Forge's goals was to take advantage of the chaos to enter and seize the resources and treasures within.

"These are your spatial items."

The captain continued with a brief introduction, handing each person an item similar to a storage bag. "Store any resources and treasures you find inside. The usage is simple: just put them in."

Lynn was no stranger to this type of spatial item.

Although they were expensive—so much so that he could never afford one himself—now, riding the momentum of the Forge, he had the chance to use one.

"It's fine. Being incorporated into this squad is better than staying on the main battlefield. And judging by these spatial items, this squad shouldn't be one of those 'suicide armies' I joined before..."

He gripped the spatial item and stepped into the squad, thinking to himself.

"Follow me!"

The captain commanded, turning to lead the team toward the side hall of the Nightshade Bunker.

They were not the only squad of their kind; there were many such squads, splitting into multiple routes toward the treasure grounds of the Nightshade Bunker.

As for how the Forge was so familiar with the layout of the Nightshade Bunker, it was naturally because...

There had already been a traitor within the Nightshade Bunker, and not just a low-level one, but someone from the middle or upper management.

As they drew closer to the Nightshade Bunker, Lynn could feel the concentration of negative energy factors gradually increasing.

Ahead stood a towering castle. Its former majesty had been ravaged by the fires of war; the outer walls were shattered, and artillery fire had blasted open a massive passage large enough for them to enter.

Just then, another Forge squad approached from the distance.

The captains of the two squads exchanged a glance, a flash of tacit understanding passing through their eyes. Without exchanging a single word, they each chose different paths.

The mission was urgent and time was precious; no one wanted to waste a single second.

As the two squads brushed past each other in a narrow corridor, three gazes suddenly collided, and the air seemed to freeze instantly.

Within his squad, Lynn's eyes suddenly narrowed. From the other squad, two more gazes were projected toward him.

Lynn saw that in the opposing squad, Riley's expression was ferocious, his lips curled into a cold, murderous smile.

Beside Riley stood another figure. Lynn did not recognize him, but he could guess that he was likely White's backer.

Although Lynn knew that White's death had not been exposed to others, given Riley's relationship with this man, the man certainly wouldn't sit idly by and would surely target him—this was evident from the man's equally cold eyes.

Among this group of apprentices, Riley and the apprentice beside him clearly did not dare to attack Lynn directly.

But at the moment they brushed past each other, Riley suddenly let out a cold laugh and made a throat-slitting gesture with his finger. It was a gesture full of provocation, as if he could not wait to strike Lynn down at some moment.

(End of Chapter)