The warm smile on Elder Bahr’s face finally slipped, his expression darkened, and his tone grew firm: "Witch Master Kalsa, watch your words! The expedition against the Black Witch Domain is a joint decision of the Supreme Council. When to attack and how to use troops, the Gray Tower and Thousand Sails have their considerations. It is not your Jade Land’s place to interfere! This land is not your Jade Land’s private property either!"
"Considerations?" Jeraf laughed in anger, as arcane energy around him began to jump unstably, making a faint crackling sound, "Your considerations are to wait until we’ve bled ourselves dry and paved the way, then you come out to reap the benefits? Such calculations!"
From the Thousand Sails Witch Realm, Sarina, known as "Tide’s Grip," a witch with a beautiful face but a cold gaze, spoke coldly: "Witch Master Jeraf, there’s no need to speak so harshly. The Freemasonry Church is a cancer to the entire Wizard World, and it’s everyone’s responsibility to eliminate it."
"With victory in sight, we increase our efforts and together deliver the final blow, why not? Or is it... Jade Land wants to monopolize the fat land of the Ancient Ruins?"
"Utterly shameless!" Kalsa’s voice seemed to freeze the surrounding air, as a pinpoint of extreme cold glimmer began to form between her slender fingers, the temperature around plummeting, even high-altitude water vapor instantly turning to ice dust, "A joint strike? You are currently at the gates, pointing swords at our camp, and that’s your ’joint’ way?"
The "Rune Sword Saint" Reks from the Gray Tower Witch Realm, a strong man carrying a giant sword, snorted coldly at these words, a sharp and unmatched Sword Intent rose to the sky, locking onto Kalsa without backing down: "What if we are? This Sigh Barrier, today the Gray Tower shall have it! Be wise and make way, or else..."
"Or else what?" Jeraf took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Kalsa, a vast arcane torrent faintly merging into the shadow of a Jade Tower behind him, the powerful pressure sweeping outward, "Want to make a move? Then try it and see! See whether you highway robbers’ tactics or our Jade Land’s fists are harder!"
Elder Bahr’s magic wand paused, the gray rock magic rippled out like waves, linking with Reks’s Sword Intent and the surging tidal shadow emerging around Sarina, fearlessly bracing against the pressure from the two Masters of Jade Land.
"It seems there’s nothing left to discuss." Bahr’s voice turned completely cold.
In the high sky, nearly twenty beings of Secret Skill Level clashed and compressed force fields against each other, causing the weather to change, electric snakes rampant. The raging energy turbulence roared in the air, the smell of gunpowder surged to its peak, and battle, was imminent!
Just as the tension in the sky reached its peak, with arcane, ice, rock speech, and tidal force fields clashing and nearly triggering conflict on the rules level, suddenly.
A beam of pure and gentle Holy Light suddenly shot up from the camp below, cutting precisely into the center of the standoff area. It was not dazzling, but it carried a peculiar calming and reconciling power, momentarily soothing the turbulent energy streams.
In the beam of light, Julia’s figure slowly rose. Behind her stretched a pair of pale golden Light Wings composed of pure Light Element, her holy face a picture of peace.
At first, she looked at Jeraf, whose face was livid, and Kalsa, surrounded by a bitter chill, her voice ethereal and clear, "Lord Jeraf, Lady Kalsa, please calm down and retract your powers. We should not be in conflict with our allies, Gray Tower and Thousand Sails, here."
Her gaze swept past the group of Mystical Wizards opposite, her tone still calm, "We all serve under the framework of the Supreme Council, with a shared enemy, the Freemasonry Church. Internal strife now will only pain friends and please foes."
Bahr from the Gray Tower Witch Realm and Sarina from the Thousand Sails Witch Realm both showed satisfied and arrogant expressions upon hearing this. Bahr stroked his beard and nodded, his tone carrying a bit of appreciation: "Indeed, though young, Her Highness the Saintess has a great understanding of the bigger picture, knowing the importance of priorities, much more sensible than some individuals who only know how to act bravely for a moment."
Sarina also nodded slightly, acknowledging Julia’s "sense of the big picture."
However, Jeraf and Kalsa’s expressions instantly turned even more unsightly.
Jeraf, looking at Julia in disbelief, his voice low with suppressed anger, "Julia! Do you know what you’re saying? This is blatant robbery! We fought a bloody battle for months, made countless sacrifices to get here, and now are we to just let it all go?"
Kalsa remained silent, but her icy gaze remained locked on Julia, containing questioning and coldness that almost materialized.
Facing the scrutiny and questioning of the two Masters, Julia’s expression did not waver at all. She simply uttered the most crucial sentence calmly, yet with undeniable implication: "This is the master’s will."
The words "master’s will" came out with a peculiar kind of magic.
Jeraf and Kalsa’s surging force fields halted simultaneously, the anger and unwillingness on their faces solidified, then they frowned tightly, exchanging a glance, seeing suspicion and confusion in each other’s eyes, but above all, a heavy sense of unavoidable compliance.
A moment later, within the frontline camp.
Just descended from the sky, barely steadying himself, Jeraf impatiently turned to Julia, frowning, his tone urgent as he pressed, "Julia, what is this about? Why would the master issue such an order? Are we really going to swallow this indignation and hand over victory that’s within our grasp?"
Though Kalsa did not speak, her icy gaze remained fixed on Julia, clearly needing a reasonable explanation.
Before Julia could respond, Blood Duke Mars, who had been closely monitoring the battle situation, stepped forward with steady steps. This battle-hardened commander showed no sign of imminent victory on his face, instead marked by deep concern. He bowed slightly to the two Masters, then spoke in a low voice:
"Lord Jeraf, Lady Kalsa, please calm down. This is precisely what I’ve been deeply concerned about recently and have already reported to Her Highness the Saintess and the rear."
He walked to the huge strategic sand table, his fingers tracing over the markers of captured territory: "Our army has indeed progressed unusually smoothly since the start of the war, advancing like a hot knife through butter. But precisely because of this, it’s even more alarming, this kind of... inexplicable ease."
He looked up, his gaze sharp as it swept across the two Masters: "The resistance shown by the Freemasonry Church is vastly different from the strength we assessed based on multiple intelligence sources prior to the war. It’s true that battlefield intelligence and actual conditions are often somewhat at odds, but such a huge disparity is farfetched."
Jeraf and Kalsa, both possessing exceptional wisdom, immediately grew serious upon hearing this, their previous anger replaced by contemplation. They were not devoid of military understanding, simply momentarily enraged by the shamelessness of their opponents’ cherry-picking behavior. But now, prompted by Mars, they immediately grasped the key point.
A hint of realization flashed in Jeraf’s eyes as he looked towards Julia, cautiously probing: "So... the master’s intention is..."
Kalsa also quickly figured out the connection, her cool voice picking up where Jeraf left off, with a touch of realization, "To let the Gray Tower and Thousand Sails, those two greedy hyenas, go ahead and test how deep the waters ahead really are on our behalf?"