章 112: Chapter 112: A Synchronised War
"Join the war?"
Sunan was slightly taken aback when Amy relayed the message to him, but he quickly refused without hesitation.
What a joke! This wasn't some dark wizard academy where students were tossed into fierce competitions to sift out the best.
After putting so much effort into training a qualified apprentice, how could he possibly send them off to die on the battlefield?
If they wanted more contribution points, they should honestly complete more tasks.
Of course, Sunan didn't plan to turn his students into sheltered flowers.
If they wanted experience, they could wait until they reached the level of a level-two wizard apprentice, with some self-defense capability, before considering it.
He instructed Amy to deliver his response, then turned back to his work.
After integrating the twenty-five Divine Blood Ambers obtained from the last gathering, his meditation efficiency soared again.
Now, practicing the Star Ring Meditation Method daily increased his proficiency by over 3,800 points on average.
The progress was astonishing!
With only about ten thousand proficiency points needed to level up, Sunan estimated that he could construct his twelfth star ring next month, bringing him closer to becoming a full-fledged wizard.
His spell learning and silent casting training were also progressing steadily.
Most of his remaining time and energy were devoted to building his puppet army.
Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Time flew by, and soon it was the month of Fiery Flow (July).
As he successfully constructed his twelfth star ring, he also attended his fifth Forest Cabin gathering.
Unfortunately, Black Forest didn't attend, so the promised puppet blueprint remained unseen.
Sunan purchased some rare metals and three miniature soul crystals, concluding the gathering.
All the miniature soul crystals he acquired at these gatherings were used to craft steel golems.
Currently, Sunan had twelve steel golems.
He kept three to guard the base and one at Magic Plant Garden No. 2, while the remaining eight were stationed at Camp No. 1.
It wasn't until the month of Autumn Dusk that Sunan was ready to start the war.
At Camp No. 1.
Sunan took a deep breath as he looked at the neatly arranged puppet golem army before him.
A total of eight steel golems, twelve elite stone golems, eight hundred stone golems, and fifty Twin-Blade Puppets.
This army could sweep through any earl's territory or even a weaker marquis's territory on the surface.
Now it was being used to deal with a single Man-faced Lion city-state, indicating the seriousness of the matter.
To build this puppet army, Sunan poured all the profits from this year's mining operations and even tapped into the Shimmer Territory's funds.
His cash reserves were depleted.
But considering the seven mineral veins surrounding the Man-faced Lion city-state, the investment seemed worthwhile.
"It's a pity there's not more time. If I could wait another six months and double the puppet army's numbers, it would be even easier to deal with the Man-faced Lion city-state."
Sunan initially considered postponing the war to prepare more thoroughly.
However, the Man-faced Lions had recently sent spies to probe the cave.
They were cautious and retreated after spotting the elite stone golems, unaware that they had triggered a magical alarm and that Sunan was already aware of their actions.
Sunan estimated that the Man-faced Lion city-state had its sights set on this entrance and would act soon.
Rather than waiting for them to attack and responding passively, he decided to strike first and catch them off guard.
Gathering his thoughts, Sunan stored all the puppet golems in the cube and entered the cave.
Reaching a vantage point, he paused, and the air beside him rippled as the massive, menacing form of the Shadow Dragon appeared.
"Be careful. Once the battle starts, I may not be able to watch over you," Sunan cautioned, casting a Levitate spell on the Shadow Dragon.
"Roar!"
The Shadow Dragon growled lowly in response.
Since evolving into a draconic bloodline, its calls increasingly resembled dragon roars, imbued with a sense of domineering majesty.
Sunan smiled, activated his Invisibility Robe, and vanished from sight.
The Shadow Dragon also disappeared into the air.
The pair soon emerged from the stalactites, hovering in mid-air.
Surprisingly, the previously empty skies above the lake were now filled with many flying rays, each carrying a Man-faced Lion wielding a scimitar.
In the distance, near the rebuilt city wall, large groups of kobolds, lizardfolk, and ogres were being herded into formation along the lake shore, their shouts and cries echoing.
Nearby stood the Man-faced Lion army, orderly and imposing, exuding a chilling menace.
"This is...?"
Sunan raised an eyebrow, a playful smile forming.
It seemed the Man-faced Lions were in sync with him, choosing the same day to initiate war.
Perfect, no siege required.
A battle on open ground favored the golem army's capabilities.
His eyes gleamed as he slowly floated forward.
The Man-faced Lions had no idea an intruder had breached their territory, remaining poised on their flying rays.
On the city wall.
Three half-human, half-snake Man-faced Lion nobles looked down at the slave army, flanked by two Soul Devourer Hunters lazily swishing their tails.
Watching the chaotic slave army, Parida frowned in disdain.
"A bunch of lowly slaves. Can these guys really invade the surface world?"
Beside her, Karolena chuckled, "These guys aren't as brave as our warriors, but they're good enough as cannon fodder. The surface world's human soldiers aren't much better than kobolds and lizardfolk."
"Don't underestimate them," warned Yusula, the city-state's ruler.
"Humans aren't the real threat; it's the surface world's wizards we must take seriously."
Mentioning wizards made both Parida and Karolena somber.
The memory of the battle months ago was still fresh; just two wizards had toyed with the entire city-state, killing many of their kin and escaping unscathed.
It was a bitter humiliation, but also instilled a deep fear of wizards' power.
Wizards were said to be among the most powerful beings on the continent—a claim they once dismissed as exaggeration but now understood all too well.
"We interrogated the Thornflower Duchy's captives. The exit above leads to the Starlight Duchy's territory, specifically a marquisate called Shimmer Territory."
"A marquisate? That's not weak," Karolena noted.
The surface world marquisates' overall strength rivaled their city-state, mainly due to the larger number of soldiers they could muster.
Yet despite this, Karolena showed no concern.
After all, their goal wasn't to occupy surface towns, just to plunder and leave.
They only needed to face a town's army.
"Not only that, the nearest city to the exit is Shimmer City's capital, where the marquis resides, so its defenses will be very strong."
"I also sent spies to investigate. Stone golems are guarding the exit, meaning there's definitely a wizard in Shimmer City."
"It's likely related to the two wizards who infiltrated our city-state."
Parida looked at Karolena, who pondered before replying, "One of those wizards is probably from the Thornflower Duchy. The other, we don't know, but it's likely they're a wizard from Shimmer Territory."
Karolena's face twisted in a cold smile, "If that's the case, even better. We can avenge our previous defeat!"
She'd never forgotten the injury she received, waiting to peel the skin and break the bones of the wizard responsible.
"What's happening in the south?" Yusula interrupted their conversation.
Parida hesitated, "I'm not sure. The scouts can't get near Kasham; those bugs have pheromones spread within five kilometers, and our scouts are immediately detected."
"It seems they're recovering from the war two years ago and are becoming restless."
Yusula frowned, then shifted topics.
"What about the Red Widow and Black Duke?"
"They're just monitoring, no other actions."
After a moment's thought, Yusula said, "Send a message proposing an alliance."
Parida hesitated, "After we betrayed them two years ago, will they trust us?"
"They have no choice," Yusula replied coldly. "Neither Yohu, Matu, nor Orson city-states can face Kasham alone. If they don't join us, we'll all be destroyed."
"I'm sure the Red Widow and Black Duke will make the right choice."
"Yes, my lord," Parida replied respectfully.
"Everything's ready. Give the order to march!" Yusula commanded.
But as soon as he spoke, the two Soul Devourer Hunters nearby suddenly rose, baring their fangs and growling toward the lakeshore.
Karolena's expression changed, and she shouted, "We're under attack!"
As she spoke, a deafening thunderclap echoed from afar.
Blinding lightning tore through the darkness, crashing into the dense ranks of the Man-faced Lion army!
In an instant, hundreds of Man-faced Lion warriors were incinerated, unable to utter a scream before falling lifeless.
"We're under attack!"
"Where's the attack coming from?"
"Find the enemy, quickly!"
Chaos ensued among the Man-faced Lions.
The slave army, painstakingly assembled, also fell into disarray due to the sudden turn of events.
The Man-faced Lion overseers drew their scimitars, shouting to quell the slaves' panic.
But the appearance of the puppet army rendered their efforts futile.
As soon as it appeared, the puppet army launched a fierce charge at the Man-faced Lion troops.
Over eight hundred golems charged simultaneously, kicking up a cloud of dust, advancing with the force of a tidal wave. The terrifying momentum caused many Man-faced Lions to blanch, some trembling and turning pale with fear.
The attack was too sudden!
None expected such a large enemy force to appear out of nowhere.
At such close range, they had little time to react, no psychological preparation for the fierce combat that ensued.
In a matter of moments, the Man-faced Lions were pushed back, suffering heavy casualties.
The slave army fared even worse.
Sunan hadn't even deployed much force; a mere dozen stone golems charging sent the slaves scattering, their overseers' shouts unable to stop them.
Once the overseers were engaged by stone golems, the slaves fled even more desperately.
"How does the saying go—blessed by heaven?"
Seeing the advantageous situation, Sunan couldn't help but smile.
He'd expected a tough battle, but the Man-faced Lions had conveniently handed him an opening. It seemed the war would end quickly.
While Sunan was pleased, the mood on the city wall among the three Man-faced Lion nobles was anything but.
Seeing their kin slaughtered, they were filled with anger and despair.
Karolena immediately recognized Sunan, who had shed his invisibility. Though he'd worn a mask before, she couldn't mistake his aura.
"It's you again!" Karolena glared at Sunan, seething with rage.
Yusula and Parida quickly realized this was one of the wizards who had attacked their city-state.
Fueled by old and new grievances, the three stared at Sunan with intense hatred. With a cry, they levitated and charged toward him.
Mid-flight, their staffs gleamed with eerie light, shining brilliantly in the darkness.
Countless bolts of lightning, flames, and snow manifested, surging toward Sunan like a tide.
Man-faced Lion nobles couldn't control elemental forces; these were illusions.
Yet deadly attacks often lurked among such illusions.
The Man-faced Lions excelled in deceptive, alternating real and fake attacks, where carelessness could lead to disaster.
Sunan noticed several black snakes hidden in the fiery waves, their tongues flicking, ready to strike if he let his guard down.
But he was unconcerned.
With the Extreme Protection Rings, he wasn't worried about the Man-faced Lion nobles' attacks harming him.
Without any defensive moves, Sunan activated the Disaster Rings on his left hand without hesitation.
Boom!
Lightning, flames, and snow engulfed Sunan.
Seeing this, the three Man-faced Lion nobles smiled, but something was amiss.
The expected screams of agony never came!
Instead, a series of cracks, like ice forming, reached their ears.
In the next moment, the illusions vanished entirely.
A visible white shockwave erupted outward.
Caught off guard, the three Man-faced Lion nobles were struck by the shockwave, momentarily freezing, their bodies coated in frost.
Simultaneously, four massive gray claw shadows appeared, lunging toward Parida.
The four gray claws tore through the air from different directions, viciously grasping at Parida.
Disaster Claws x4!
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