On the ground, in the north.
Around a vast city in the wilderness, a fierce battle was underway.
The Blue-robed Wizards from Deep Blue Castle and the Black-robed Wizards from the Mysterious Organization were the attackers, while the defending wizards, dressed in various organizations’ robes of different colors, were the defenders.
Because it was an ambush, the attackers gained a considerable advantage from the start. Flames, Wind Blades, and Ice Cones were furiously shot into the city, and within a short time, they had occupied nearly half of the city, with the battle line constantly pushing deeper into the city.
The defending wizards, caught off guard, couldn’t organize an effective defense line and could only retreat. As defeat seemed inevitable, a few wizards with a strong presence appeared, flying out from the city and blocking the attackers’ path.
"I was originally planning to come to you, but you delivered yourselves to my doorstep and so arrogantly at that. Die!" a cold-faced witch said to the attackers as she boldly made her move.
She quickly condensed an Energy Ball several dozens of centimeters in diameter in her hand, casually threw it out, and caused a huge explosion upon impact, hitting several attacking Deep Blue Castle Wizards. With a "boom," it blew the attackers into pieces.
The attacker was none other than the "Element Master" Russell from the Jungle Hut’s Green Wind Gathering Place.
"Master Russell speaks the truth. We were actually looking for you, but you’ve come to us, truly unaware of life and death," a man over sixty years old spoke next to Russell, his beard and hair a gray-green, who was none other than Andrew, the "Voodoo Heart" from Rotten Swamp.
With a wave of his hand, a large cloud of acid fog emerged, enveloping the attacking wizards. A few attacking wizards saw the danger and turned to flee. Andrew cackled and flicked his hand, making the acid fog’s speed surge, pouncing on the fleeing wizards like a monster. A series of screams rang out as the fleeing wizards were corroded into skeletons.
"I think they are too bold, but we have also been too conservative, not letting them realize the gap in power," an even older man, appearing to be in his seventies, said. He was Triss, the "Source of Resentment Curse" from Black Evil Castle.
With a flick of his arm, two black lights flew out of his robe, instantly entwining two distant spell-casting attacking wizards. Both wizards’ faces immediately turned ash-gray, as if stripped of all Extraordinary Power, and they fell from the sky with screams, smashing two large pits into the ground.
"What’s happening now, I don’t care. They’ve come, so killing them all is good, and it saves trouble," said a man in his forties with long hair and pale skin.
Icicles, from nowhere, fired at him, but he watched with a cold smile, not caring at all as he casually raised his hand to block them. Pinching them in his hand, he reshaped the Ice Cones and then flung them back.
The Ice Cones made a whooshing sound as they flew, as fast as lightning, and with a "plop," they pierced through the body of a distant attacking wizard, taking his life.
The wizard whose life was taken plummeted towards the ground, and his companion – a tall, thin Blue-robed Wizard – saw this and cried out in shock, seeming unwilling to give up and preparing for a rescue.
It was then that a flash of red light appeared behind the tall, thin Blue-robed Wizard, and a mature woman wearing a fiery red robe with a rose pattern appeared. With one hand on his shoulder, she seemingly lightly pressed down, and with a "snap," the Blue-robed Wizard’s neck was twisted, and he fell to the ground alongside his companion.
The mature woman floated in midair, her expression emotionless as she said, "Such fragile bodies," and it was Aphrodite from Rose City, known as "Golden Rose."
Apart from that, there was an old man wearing a green robe emblazoned with a skull pattern, his body stooped, his figure skeletal, his eyes sunken deep.
The old man didn’t say anything, floating in the air, just holding a thirty-centimeter-long White Bone Wand, pointing continuously at the attacking wizards around him, his lips moving silently, uttering some obscure spells.
Strangely enough, whoever was pointed at by the old man would soon turn pale and then start convulsing, as if suffering from some internal injury. Some would vomit blood profusely, while others would fall directly to the ground.
The old man was Huo Mu, known as "Killing Bone" from Death Valley. After a good while of fighting, taking down nearly ten enemies, he finally turned his head towards Russell and the others and said slowly, "Let’s not waste words, everyone. Let’s focus on defending against the attack. Otherwise, given the current situation, even if we do wipe out the enemies, our own losses will be heavy."
The others nodded in agreement with Huo Mu’s words and began to fight back with full force against the attacking wizards.
Gradually, under the leadership of powerful Third Level Wizards like Russell, the defenders began to turn the tide, forcing the attackers to retreat toward the city outskirts.
But just as it seemed like the attacking wizards were being pushed out of the city, suddenly, even more attacking wizards appeared from outside the city. These new attackers, all clad in Black Robes, were powerful and ruthless, casting strange and sinister spells, catching the defenders completely off guard.
Russell, Andrew, and the other powerful Third Level Wizards tried to stem the tide, but to no avail. With casualties mounting, morale among the defenders plummeted, and some wizards even tried to flee.
But under the besieging force, fleeing only led to a quicker death. The figures trying to escape vanished in the blink of an eye amidst the dazzle of numerous spells.
Russell’s expression was grim. He was about to lead his group from the Jungle Hut Green Wind Gathering Place in a forceful counterattack when Huo Mu stopped him.
Huo Mu spoke at length, and as Russell listened, his expression underwent several changes before finally nodding his head and giving orders. Andrew and a few others also conveyed commands to their Wizard Organization. Before long, all defending wizards within the city began to adjust their deployment, shrink their defensive range, and strengthen their defense to reduce casualties and stand off against the attackers.
This was a wise choice, for although the city had gathered many wizards, they did not constitute the entirety of the Revenge Alliance. The current heavy losses suffered from the attack would only worsen if they continued to face it head-on. By trying to stall for time until other wizards from different locations could arrive and join forces, there might still be a chance for a turnaround.
However, the attackers clearly had a different opinion.
Outside the city, from the distant hills, Sieg and Bayer saw everything before them. Seeing the Revenge Alliance Wizards in the city no longer trying to combat, but instead adopting a passive defense, a smile appeared on their faces.
"It seems the overall situation is settled," Bayer said with a smile, turning to look at Sieg, "Dean Sige, just as planned. Although they have enough people, they don’t have many who are powerful. As long as we find the right moment to inflict massive casualties instantly, they won’t be able to hold on and will only be able to defend. But defense is merely delaying the time of death, not the outcome. Once we put in our deciding force, their defeat is certain."
"Indeed," Sieg watched the distant city, smiling rarely and looking very pleased, he returned the smile to Bayer, "Unless something unexpected happens, we can consider ourselves to have already won in advance. So..."