Chapter 33: Astrid's Thoughts (Please follow, bookmark, and recommend)

Chapter 33

The roar of the black dragon shook the heavens, as if a dark storm were sweeping through, tinting the entire sky with a deep, inky hue.

Astrid slowly rose from the back of the black dragon, her purple eyes devoid of emotion. Her voice rang out like the thunder of war drums, announcing the formal commencement of this battle.

This offensive was starkly different from their previous campaign against the Cult of Bitter Intent.

When attacking the Cult of Bitter Intent, the enemy's defensive formations had been exceptionally formidable, forcing the Furnace Army to first engage in a protracted siege to break through their powerful defensive witchcraft arrays.

However, the defenses of the Nightshade Bunker were of a different nature entirely.

A thin, black veil hung suspended above the bunker, obscuring everything beneath it.

This was the Nightshade Bunker's proprietary defensive witchcraft array, known as the "Anti-Energy Array."

The specialty of this array lay in its ability to effectively neutralize a large portion of attacks from long-range witchcraft; the neutralized energy would, in turn, strengthen the power of the array itself.

In other words, when facing this array, the effectiveness of long-range witchcraft would be significantly diminished.

However, the array was not invulnerable.

While it possessed extreme defensive capabilities against ranged attacks, it could not withstand the impact of physical bodies.

Because of this, the best way to breach the Nightshade Bunker's lines was to charge through the veil using physical force.

But this was precisely a strategy designed into the Nightshade Bunker from the beginning.

As a faction skilled in the use of undead, necromancy, and negative energy witchcraft, the Nightshade Bunker had long anticipated that enemies would attempt to break through the array with physical force.

To them, the more people who dared to rush into the veil, the more continuous replenishment they would receive for their negative energy witchcraft.

Once these outsiders were slain, the necrotic aura brought by death would bolster the array's strength. This meant that as the battle grew more intense, the Nightshade Bunker grew even more powerful.

Consequently, the Nightshade Bunker's defensive methods were extremely troublesome; the cost of a physical breach was incredibly high, and many were simply unable to withstand the erosion of the array's negative energy.

"If we charge in ourselves, the erosion of negative energy will greatly weaken our combat effectiveness. The attrition would be too high," the black dragon reported truthfully in a low voice.

Astrid's purple eyes flashed with a cold light as she scanned the Furnace apprentices below, her gaze utterly emotionless.

"Then let them go in first to shoulder the erosion of the negative energy for us."

Astrid's voice remained steady without a hint of fluctuation; it mattered little how many of those apprentices died in this war.

Because they had one, and only one, purpose: to clear the obstacles for Astrid, even if the price was their lives!

After that, she—the student of the Lord of the Furnace—would make a name for herself through this external war of the Furnace, letting the wizarding world know the name Astrid!

"Proceed according to the original plan. Select those apprentices who carry Light Crystals and have them slip into the fray amidst the apprentice army to help us neutralize the negative energy factors within the array."

"Of course, before that, send some apprentices in to die first to lower the enemy's guard..."

Her voice echoed through the air

"To die for the Furnace is a worthy death; the Furnace will remember them! Move out!"

As the supreme commander of the current campaign, Astrid's orders were blunt and were swiftly relayed to the formal wizards below.

These wizards began executing the orders without hesitation, directing squads of apprentices toward the veil of the Nightshade Bunker, preparing to pave the way for the upcoming assault.

Mixed within the crowd, Lynn and his two companions received orders from a formal wizard to lead an attack toward the left side of the Nightshade Bunker.

At this moment, the Nightshade Bunker's witchcraft array was still operational, dark light flickering in the sky as if an invisible barrier were isolating it from the outside world.

However, the formal wizards from the Furnace had issued the command to forcibly break through this array.

Doubt and fear arose in the hearts of many apprentices; after all, charging directly into an enemy's witchcraft array was no different from seeking death.

Yet, any hesitation on the battlefield was met with the lightning-fast strike of a formal wizard's witchcraft, instantly killing those who wavered.

Of course, slaughter alone was not enough to ensure the execution of orders.

Several formal wizards casually produced special contracts, densely covered in runes that emitted a powerful aura of witchcraft.

The magical suppression within these contracts was immense; once signed, the apprentices were virtually unable to resist.

One apprentice attempted to desert, only to be instantly consumed by the contract's backlash, dying a most gruesome death.

Thus, no matter what the apprentices thought in their hearts, they had to execute the wizards' tasks on the surface.

"This black dragon witch really doesn't give a damn about the lives of us apprentices..."

"Sigh, I've dragged on for so many years without becoming a formal wizard, only to end up under a commander like this..."

"If she continues this way, the death toll of this Furnace Hunt will likely set an unprecedented record. But then again, she is the little princess of the Furnace... Heh..."

Sonia looked coldly at the black dragon circling high above, a trace of irony flashing in her eyes.

Lynn could not help but nod, feeling a silent sense of lamentation in his heart.

At this moment, he finally understood the true essence of the Furnace and the realm of the Black Wizards.

Although he had a teacher looking after him within the Furnace and lived a relatively stable life, under the constraints of the Furnace contracts, he was not exempt from the fate of being sent to the front lines.

To the Furnace, apprentices were merely pieces on a chessboard; if they died, they were nothing more than a number on a post-war casualty list.

To obtain true freedom in the world of Black Wizards, one likely had to become a formal wizard before one could even speak the word "freedom."

"Lynn, remember not to run around aimlessly later. The Furnace contract curses are scarier than anything. As long as you don't defect..."

At a time like this, Colin, who followed the same teacher, was the reliable one. He walked over and whispered to Lynn, his tone carrying a hint of warning.

Lynn was sharp enough to hear the subtext, as Colin placed extra emphasis on the words *as long as you don't defect*...

Did he mean that as long as one didn't defect, one could avoid triggering the Furnace contract curse?

Lynn's mind was quick, and he soon understood Colin's implication.

Defection was the bottom line that triggered the contract; above that line, one could employ certain "countermeasures."

For instance, finding a second-tier wizard apprentice to pick a fight with, or simply choosing to defend rather than attack—essentially "working slowly" on the battlefield!

As the saying goes, "where there is policy, there is a counter-policy." The little princess of the Furnace wanted these apprentices to die for her, using their lives to forge her prestige in the wizarding world.

But certain students favored by wizards knew how to circumvent the contracts—they had ways to cope, much like Colin.

Of course, students like Colin and Rosalind, who shared such close relationships with their teachers, were ultimately in the minority.

Most apprentices, even those who were students of wizards, were currently facing the dual pressure of formal wizards and contracts, leaving them with no choice but to charge toward the dim veil of the Nightshade Bunker.