The sky was a clear azure, with white clouds drifting lazily across it. A figure shot across the heavens like lightning.
It was a knight, clad in golden-red armor, riding a warhorse engulfed in Mystic Flames. As he sped through the sky, he left behind a trail of afterimages.
His speed was so great that it tore through the air, creating deafening sonic booms.
RUMBLE!
This knight was none other than Cindy, the commander of the Order of the Mystic Flame a Ninth-Circle Knight!
At this moment, his expression was grim, eyes blazing with fury. The battle aura around him surged violently, forming a distorted, searing halo that looked ready to ignite the very air around him.
He dug his heels hard into the horse's flanks. The mount let out a fierce neigh and accelerated again!
Even when he'd previously annihilated the legions of Grand Wizard Yude, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, he hadn't looked this shaken.
But now, something had happened something that rattled even a Ninth-Circle Knight like him.
His disciple, Faol, was in trouble!
Just moments ago, he had sensed Faol's life force fluctuate violently. He had immediately rushed out in an attempt to save him.
But halfway to the location, Cindy's face suddenly darkened. A heavy feeling sank into his chest.
Faol's presence had vanished!
Not just fainted or injured completely and utterly gone.
Even the subtle psychic link he shared with Faol had been abruptly severed.
As if Faol had been wiped from existence itself.
"Impossible!"
Cindy's eyes widened with disbelief as he roared. He couldn't accept this.
"The Goddess's protection… how could it just disappear?!"
He clenched his fists so tightly his nails dug into his palms, chest heaving, his expression dark enough to drip ink.
Faol wasn't just his most talented disciple he carried all of Cindy's hopes and dreams.
The boy had extraordinary potential, destined to become a legendary knight, and with enough fortune, maybe even ascend to godhood someday.
But now… Faol had inexplicably vanished?!
Cindy's gaze turned sharp, murderous intent radiating from his entire being.
No matter what awaited him ahead he would find Faol!
Just as he was about to suppress his rage and press on, a stern, ancient voice echoed in his mind through a spiritual transmission:
"Cindy, there are several Third-Level Wizards ahead. Retreat immediately."
The voice belonged to none other than Lord Linge, one of the Seven Stars a legendary mage.
Cindy's heart clenched. He froze for a second, and his face grew even more grim.
The wizard army… had arrived!
If he continued forward now, he would collide head-on with the wizard forces.
Even as a Ninth-Circle Knight, facing multiple Third-Level Wizards and perhaps even one of the nearly godlike Morning Star Wizards among them he would not survive.
His fists trembled, joints cracking under the pressure. A trace of anguish flickered in his eyes.
He was furious. Furious beyond words.
But reason ultimately triumphed over fury.
"Faol!!"
He growled, rage exploding from his chest. But in the end, he yanked his reins hard. The warhorse let out a heart-wrenching neigh.
It twisted midair into a sharp arc and sped back toward the Goddess's army.
High in the sky, thunderclouds churned as faint lightning flickered through them.
A massive floating fortress tore through the clouds like a steel colossus. Crimson energy trails flared from its rear as it roared through the skies.
This was War Fortress No. 13, the Eastern War Zone's mobile stronghold currently moving at full speed.
Inside the command center, Grand Wizard Yude and Grand Wizard Earl kept a close eye on the rear, watching for signs of pursuit by the legendary mage.
The wind howled outside. Inside, the magical radar hummed softly, emitting waves that scanned the sky for any traces of the enemy.
Everything remained calm. But the calmer it was, the more tense they became.
Meanwhile, Grand Wizard Earl was quickly establishing communication with the Eastern War Zone, desperate to confirm the arrival time of reinforcements.
And then
"My lords, look!"
A hurried voice shattered the silence within the command center.
Yude and Earl turned sharply toward the voice, striding quickly toward the Second Level wizard who had spoken.
Their gazes landed on the magical display screen and their pupils instantly contracted.
Before them unfolded a breathtaking, awe-inspiring sight.
Floating steel behemoths one after another were drifting in from the distant horizon.
They were enormous each fortress engraved with intricate magical runes that pulsed with ethereal blue energy, like divine warships descending from the depths of the heavens.
Surrounding these colossal floating fortresses were swarms of smaller aerial crafts, buzzing like mechanical bees. They zipped through the sky, leaving faint trails of light in their wake.
This was the Eastern War Zone's reinforcements.
"The reinforcements have arrived!"
Ripples of psychic energy surged through the warship, and a flicker of excitement appeared on the faces of the surrounding wizards.
The other war fortresses from the Eastern War Zone had finally reached the battlefield!
As Fortress Thirteen detected the arrival of the others, one projection after another materialized in the command room.
Translucent figures appeared at the center of the room, each dressed differently some clad in heavy mechanical armor with rune modules on their shoulders glowing faintly blue, others robed in dark garments with wizard staves topped by glowing crystals, their auras deep and mysterious.
They were the commanding officers of the war fortresses every one of them a Third-Level Grand Wizard, the peak of power just below the Morningstar Wizards.
"How's the battlefield situation?"
"How far have the Goddess's forces advanced?"
The wizards in the projections spoke with calm voices, though a faint tension could be seen in their expressions.
High Wizard Yude took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in his heart, and replied in a low tone:
"The Goddess's army is still advancing."
"And this time, their commander is none other than one of the Seven Stars Legendary Mage Linge."
As the words fell, every projected wizard revealed a look of shock.
Throughout the long campaign, this was the first time a member of the Seven Stars had personally stepped onto the battlefield. It was a clear sign that the true war was about to begin.
But what Yude said next caused the entire command room to fall utterly silent.
"More importantly…"
"He has brought with him the weapon of the Goddess of the Weave."
Instantly, the atmosphere froze. The expressions of every wizard grew grave.
The weapon of the Goddess of the Weave…
That was no ordinary artifact it was a divine relic infused with the power of faith and divine authority.
In the civilizations of the gods, to behold a goddess's weapon was akin to witnessing the goddess herself.
Once fully activated, it could tear space asunder or even destroy an entire war fortress.
At last, Yude and Earl the two Grand Wizards felt they could breathe more easily.
At the same time, they relayed the full details of the earlier events to the other fortresses, ensuring the exchange of vital intelligence.
Finally, Earl looked at the tactical display. Aside from their own, nine more massive steel fortresses floated in the air.
Gazing at the screen, Earl's expression darkened slightly as he murmured, "So we have ten war fortresses in total?"
One of the projected Grand Wizards, clad in mechanical armor, replied solemnly:
"Correct."
"This time, out of caution and to avoid falling into a trap, the Eastern War Zone has only dispatched nine fortresses in addition to yours to maintain control over the situation."
Yude and Earl exchanged glances, eyes glinting with subtle thoughts.
Ten war fortresses meant they had gathered at least twenty Third-Level Grand Wizards on their side.
Not to mention the vast numbers of Second-Level and First-Level wizards, mechanical constructs, and various long-range annihilation weapons.
This was no small force it showed that the Eastern War Zone was taking this battle seriously.
However, in a world where power was concentrated in the hands of the extraordinary, numbers were often secondary.
When faced with overwhelming quality, any quantity seemed pale and meaningless.
Even a hundred Grand Wizards paled in comparison to a single Morningstar Wizard.
That was the first point of true ascension in the wizard hierarchy transcending the mortal realm.
After a moment of contemplation, Grand Wizard Earl asked cautiously, "Do we know where the Morningstar Lords are now?"
He wanted to understand the movements of the Morningstar Wizards in the Eastern War Zone.
These were the true decision-makers their judgments would directly steer the course of the wizard army.
However, the commanders in the projections all shook their heads, their expressions laced with helplessness.
"Our orders were to reinforce the battlefield, but as for the Morningstars' actual plans…"
"That's beyond what we're permitted to know."
This answer made both Yude and Earl frown slightly.
They had hoped to gain more insight from the other fortresses' commanders, but the Morningstar Wizards' movements remained a mystery.
These exalted beings were like chess masters on a vast board, silently shaping the fate of the War of the Far Realm.
They were the true sovereigns of the wizard legions holding the reins of the grand strategy, placing pieces, and dictating the army's every move.
Even though Yude and Earl were Third-Level Grand Wizards and commanders of war fortresses, they were merely mid-level officers in the grand scheme of the expeditionary war.
Their duty was to carry out the commands of the Morningstar Wizards and to lead their subordinate Second-Level and First-Level wizards, along with mechanical constructs, in executing tactical operations.
"So, our next move…"
Yude pondered aloud, turning to the projected images of the various fortress commanders.
At this moment, all ten fortress leaders were deep in thought, considering their next strategic move.
Meanwhile, far away on the other side of the battlefield, the advance of the Goddess's army had also quietly come to a halt.
Linge, the legendary mage, hovered silently in midair, gazing toward the wizard frontlines with eyes as cold as ice.
He was already aware that the wizard reinforcements had arrived.
However, the Goddess's army had just endured a long and grueling march. Having recently completed a difficult campaign, this was a crucial moment for them to rest and reorganize.
Now was not the ideal time to ignite an even larger conflict.
Besides, this expedition had already brought them considerable gains.
This force had pierced deep into wizard-occupied territory like a sharp dagger.
They swept across the land, destroying numerous interdimensional purification devices and toppling fortress after fortress. The wizard frontlines had been shattered, and their initial strategic objectives had already been met.
Linge's gaze shifted slightly, and he calmly issued an order:
"Pass down the command regroup on site, establish strongholds, build fortresses and trenches, and secure our position."
As his command echoed through the ranks, waves of magical energy rippled across the camp.
The wizards of the Goddess's army began casting spells. Earth churned, stone rose from the ground, and magical barriers wove together. In a matter of moments, towering fortresses sprang up from nothing.
The Goddess's army had now taken firm root on this battlefield.
...
Neither side's leadership wished to launch a full-scale war recklessly or prematurely.
As a result, both the wizard legions and the Goddess's army refrained from immediate assault, instead choosing to fortify positions, gather intelligence, and probe the opponent's strength.
At the same time, the scouting teams, intelligence units, and the surviving defenders from various castles previously dispatched by Fortress Thirteen began returning to report.
On the deck of Fortress Thirteen, figures began arriving from all directions some returning from the frontlines, others withdrawing from intelligence missions.
Lynn stood at the edge of the deck, gazing into the distance.
His eyes first swept across the nearby fortresses, now aligned side by side.
One after another, these massive steel war machines floated in the air enormous, silent giants cloaked in cold, metallic gleam. They looked like a vast aerial legion of wizardry, quietly suspended above the battlefield.
Then Lynn turned his gaze to the group of wizards gathered on the deck.
They were survivors disheveled and weary.
Some came from assault teams, others from the castle defenses. All of them had lived through the brutal onslaught of the Goddess's army.
The less fortunate had already perished during the invasion.
For example, Lynn's assault squad consisted of eight official wizards he was the only one who made it back alive.
"Lynn Cole."
A mechanical voice broke the silence.
A wizard dressed in a mechanical mage's robe stood before the identity verification device, his eyes flickering with data streams. After confirming Lynn's identity, he looked at him with a complex expression.
"Unfortunately… you're the only one who returned from Assault Squad Seven."
Though his tone was calm, there was a glimmer of respect in his eyes.
In his mind, Lynn was a lone survivor who had walked out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood something that required not only strength but extraordinary luck.
The mechanical wizard's demeanor toward Lynn was noticeably respectful. After confirming his identity, he even did something rare he gave a faint smile and said warmly:
"Welcome back."
Lynn gave a slight nod in response. He said nothing more, completed his report, and quietly walked across the deck toward the interior of the fortress.
He had heard tales that Fortress Thirteen's internal structure was incredibly complex, housing everything from arcane research labs and mechanical workshops to command centers and armories.
And yet, even though he'd been in this world for quite some time, he'd never explored the fortress.
Upon his arrival, he was immediately assigned as a garrison wizard to defend a castle.
Then, not long ago, he received transfer orders to report to the fortress for reassignment only to be swept into the chaos of the Goddess's invasion.
From beginning to end, he had never truly seen the full scale of the fortress.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 120+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader