Chapter 315 Strategy and Circumstances

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Beyond the world barrier of the Giant Spirit Realm, the chaotic void's energy currents continue to surge endlessly.

Levitating in a relatively stable space, Jemin carefully embedded the last metal substrate, engraved with billions of runes, into a complex structure large enough to orbit a small planet.

As the spiritual energy flowing from his fingertips completed the final activation and calibration, the lines of the entire massive magic array lit up one by one.

The pale blue light traced intricate geometric patterns in the void before quickly disappearing, leaving only faint ripples in the space.

Jemin sent a short message through the magic network terminal he carried with him.

Before long, a first-level wizard dressed in a standard gray robe arrived swiftly, piloting an ingeniously designed anti-gravity flying vehicle.

The first-level wizard stopped in front of Jemin and respectfully gave a standard wizard's salute: "Lord Jemin."

Jemin nodded slightly in return, pointing to the seemingly empty space behind him, which was actually shrouded by a massive array of forces: "Segment 73, Void Anchoring and Information Shielding Composite Array, installation and debugging complete, requesting acceptance."

The first-level wizard dared not delay and immediately took out a multi-probe scanner from under the aircraft to conduct a comprehensive scan of the area indicated by Jemin.

The instrument emitted a faint hum, and the data stream scrolled rapidly across its screen.

A moment later, he shut down the instrument, bowed to Jemin again, and said with certainty, "Confirmed, the magic array is operating stably, and the parameters meet the design requirements. Thank you for your hard work, Lord Jemin, the mission is complete."

Jemin nodded in satisfaction and said no more.

His figure transformed into a streak of light, flying towards the wizard's fortress in the distance, which floated in the chaotic void like a metal mountain.

Over the past three years, the campaign to eliminate the triangular plane cluster has always revolved around the second phase of strategic operations.

The second phase of strategic action has two core components.

Firstly, there is the "cleanup" task that Jemin had done before, and that most mid- to low-level wizards are currently carrying out—systematically clearing out all cities, strongholds, and industrial facilities in the Giant Spirit Realm, physically destroying the enemy's war potential and manpower.

Besides its objective of weakening the enemy, the more important strategic significance of this operation lies in its ability to firmly attract the attention of the majority of the Triangular Plane Cluster, thus providing cover for another, more covert operation.

The wizard civilization's goal is to completely annihilate all civilizations in the Triangular Plane Cluster, but the civilizations of the Triangular Plane Cluster have already acquired the ability to colonize across planes.

Therefore, the command deliberately lengthened the timeline of the war, creating the illusion that it was "approaching step by step, but still needed time to digest."

The goal is to lure the powerful figures and legions from the triangular planes scattered in external colonies or on expeditions back to their homeland, so that they can be wiped out in one fell swoop.

Meanwhile, professional wizards skilled in stealth, disguise, and information theft were also active during these three years, silently collecting the coordinates of many external planes conquered or controlled by the Triangular Plane.

The second action is an "insurance" measure taken based on these premises:

Led by the seventh-level wizard Obolos, who has been stationed in the void, and with the help of more than ten sixth-level wizards and a vast amount of resources, they secretly constructed a super-giant composite magic array in the vast void surrounding the triangular plane cluster.

The purpose of this magic array is singular—to completely seal off the void region where the triangular plane cluster is located.

Cut off all possible stable or temporary world passages to external dimensions, fundamentally eliminating the possibility that the three world lords might flee with the spark of civilization or core assets if they sense the situation is unfavorable.

What Jemin just completed was a tiny, insignificant node in this grand network of blockades.

Using the spatial teleportation array inside the fortress, Jemin returned to the temporary research camp located in the occupied area of ​​the Giant Spirit Realm.

He went straight to the laboratory assigned to him.

For the past two years, the wizards have not relaxed their research despite the ongoing military operations.

In addition to continuously improving targeted methods against the natives of the Giant Spirit Realm, research on the natives of the other two target planes—the "Mind Realm" and the "Reproduction Realm"—has also been fully launched.

Jemin first went to one side of the laboratory, where a sophisticated energy confinement field generator stood.

In the center of the restraint field, a humanoid energy body, its colors and outlines constantly shifting, flickered weakly, appearing to be on its last legs.

This is precisely a sample of the native inhabitants of the mental realm—an energy life form condensed from pure spiritual power.

Beings in the realm of the mind are naturally adept at interfering with thoughts and constructing illusions; their civilization is built upon a complex mental network and mind control.

Jemin pulled up the experiment log and quickly browsed through it with a blank expression.

He attempted to develop a mental virus capable of eroding and disrupting this pure mental structure.

However, as he calculated the fluctuations in the various data recorded in the logs and the reactions of the samples, Jemin shook his head helplessly.

"It still doesn't work..." he muttered to himself.

Despite his considerable efforts, he did lack sufficient experience in the field of mind magic.

This disease, which he named "mind breakdown," showed negligible effects even after ten days of continuous infection with samples, falling far short of the standard required for practical application.

It can be basically concluded that his research project on the mental realm has failed.

However, Jemin didn't feel too disappointed.

After all, research is a process of trial and error, not to mention there are many other wizards in the camp who are skilled in this area.

They have already submitted several effective spells or weapons targeting the mental realm, and the gears of war will not stop because of his failure alone.

More importantly, even failed studies generate a wealth of observational data that is itself a valuable intellectual asset.

After setting the experimental area of ​​the mental realm samples to long-term observation mode, Jemin seemed to remember something, frowned slightly, and turned to another section of the laboratory.

The scenery here is completely different from what I just saw.

Neat rows of independent, transparent energy cages held various creatures of different shapes and sizes, some of which were even completely unrelated.

There are colossal beasts covered in thick chitinous shells, resembling insects; soft-bodied creatures with smooth skin and multiple sensory tentacles; birds with vibrant feathers that can shoot high-pressure energy beams; and even some bizarre beings that are half-plant and half-animal...

Their only commonality is that they all come from the most mysterious plane in the triangular plane cluster—the Reproduction Realm.

According to intelligence relayed by infiltrating spies and frontline reconnaissance units, the Propagation Realm is an extremely special place.

There seems to be no "civilization" in the conventional sense there. As far as the eye can see, it is a primitive world where the strong prey on the weak and a wide variety of species exist.

However, every single "wild animal" there is ridiculously strong.

Even more bizarrely, both the Giant Spirit Realm and the Mental Realm have records of wars waged against the Propagation Realm.

Once invaded, these creatures, who are originally predators of each other, will immediately abandon their nature, unite as an army, and fight together.

What alarms wizards most is that no matter what technology or power the invaders use, once they have fought in the reproductive realm, the creatures there will seem to evolve collectively the next time they invade, autonomously developing targeted organs, abilities or resistances!

After analysis, many senior wizards put forward a startling hypothesis: the entire reproductive world may actually be a single entity!

Of course, it's not something as precious as a living plane, but it's very possible that there's only "one" life form on the entire plane.

The so-called "Master of Bacteria" is not an independent individual, but the essence of the Lord of the World.

Or rather, all living beings in the entire reproductive world are part of the "Fungus Lord"!

This "fungus master" is very likely an ultimate biological entity that constantly devours, merges, and evolves its own components.

It is itself a biological catastrophe that sweeps across the entire plane.

Jemin has an extremely strong interest in the reproductive world.

This characteristic involuntarily reminded him of the "Zerg" or "Gene Devourers" in some fantasy works from his previous life.

If he can decipher its inherent evolutionary and unifying mechanisms, he might be able to greatly optimize his "nest" and free it from its current awkward position and limited potential.

However, ideals are often grand, while reality is often harsh.

Looking at the powerful biological samples in the cage, which, upon research, seemed no different from ordinary extraordinary magical beasts, Jemin sighed helplessly.

"Where exactly is the problem?" he pondered.

"Is it because the number of captured samples is too small to trigger its population evolution mechanism? Or... is it that this magical ability to evolve and coordinate must rely on the unique environment of the reproductive world itself... or rather, it must be within the direct consciousness network coverage of the 'bacterial master' to take effect?"

In either case, it means that his current research conditions are insufficient to meet his needs, and his research on the evolutionary mechanisms of organisms in the reproductive world has temporarily reached a stalemate.

After processing the backlog of data in the lab and reviewing future research plans, Jemin began to think about his next steps.

According to the initial strategic blueprint formulated by the Wizard Command, the core objective of the third phase was to quickly crush the remaining organized resistance of the Giant Spirit Realm and ultimately suppress or even capture its world ruler, Kog.

The key to this step is speed!

Before the other two world rulers of the triangular plane cluster—Hira of the "Mind Realm" and the Fungus Lord of the "Reproduction Realm"—fully realize the impending destruction of the Giant Spirit Realm, or fail to react in sync, you must forcibly take control of the plane origin of the Giant Spirit Realm!

This involves a special property of planar communities.

Because the three planes are closely connected, forming a unique triangular structure, there is also a deep-seated mutual influence and balance among their dimensional origins.

Simply put, if one of the world's rulers attempts to trigger the origin of its own plane and launch an ultimate means of mutual destruction, such as "plane self-destruction,"...

If either of the other two world rulers disagrees or interferes, the self-destruction cannot be completed immediately; there will be a process of delay and obstruction.

This provides the wizarding civilization with a crucial operational window.

Once the Giant Spirit Realm is swiftly conquered and its origins controlled, the wizards can use it as a fulcrum to calmly mobilize their power to suppress the remaining two worlds.

After all, the main purpose of launching a war of annihilation is to eliminate potential threats, not simply to destroy.

The knowledge, technology, and unique resources accumulated by the Triangular Plane Cluster over countless years are also spoils that the Wizarding Civilization desires to obtain.

Completely annihilating the entire plane is always the last resort.

“Now, the outer void blockade should be basically completed, and most of the forces and colonial legions scattered outside the Giant Spirit Realm have been lured back. The coordinates of those conquered planes should also be collected by now…” Jemin thought to himself.

"Therefore, the day when the command makes up its mind to launch the final battle of the third phase should be just around the corner."

He secretly planned: "Once the main battles of the third phase are over and the high-end forces are dealing with the other two world lords, I may be able to apply to participate in the final cleanup mission of those colonized planes controlled by the Giant Spirit Realm and the Mind Realm."

"I can earn military merits and also take the opportunity to collect unique biological samples and resources from those different dimensions, enriching my database and material reserves..."

Just as his thoughts were wandering in the future, the magic network terminal placed next to the experimental table suddenly emitted a sharp and urgent beeping sound!

A bright red, highest-priority alert icon instantly popped up on the screen!

"Emergency Assemblement Order! All combat units, immediately assemble at the designated coordinates!"

Jemin's pupils contracted, and he almost sprang up from his chair!

Without any hesitation, he grabbed the terminal and dashed out of the laboratory like an arrow.

Outside the door, the corridor was noisy.

Many logistics wizards who were also conducting research rushed out in astonishment, exchanging bewilderment with each other.

But no one asked any questions; they all followed the directions on their terminals and ran towards the nearest rendezvous point outside the camp.

Using a short teleportation array that had been activated in the camp, Jemin felt a blur before his eyes and arrived at a front-line outpost with a grim atmosphere.

He had just regained his footing when he looked out from the outpost and was deeply shocked by the scene before him.

On the distant horizon, the sky and the earth seemed to be covered by an endless expanse of dark clouds!

But those were not natural clouds; they were a massive army composed of countless giant spirit warships, war beasts, and servants of various shapes and sizes!

They were densely packed, like a torrent of metal and flesh, slowly unfolding their formation on an unprecedented scale.

The chilling aura emanating from them was suffocating, even from such a distance.

"What's going on?!" Jemin blurted out instinctively, asking a nearby wizard who was rapidly distributing combat orders.

The wizard looked up at Jemin and answered quickly:

"The exact reason is unclear, but command just received a top-level alert. Koger has gone mad for some reason; in short, the decisive battle... has begun ahead of schedule!"

(There's always a ton of stuff to do at the first two days of the week, so this is just one chapter for today.)

(End of this chapter)