Chapter 404 Current Status and Appearance
“I am Artorias.” The old man’s voice was not loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly. “Commander-in-Chief of the expeditionary force of this ‘Reincarnation Plane’.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire room.
"The mission briefing you received should have already explained the basic situation. However, the situation has changed somewhat..."
Artorias's voice echoed across the wasteland, each word striking the wizard's consciousness like cold metal striking metal.
“The enemy is already on guard against us. At this stage, if our high-level wizards go all out, it will definitely trigger time reversal. So, apart from one level seven wizard, we will not make a move at other times.”
The old man's gaze swept over the three thousand newly arrived supporters below the stage, his eyes filled with the weariness and sharpness accumulated from countless cycles of reincarnation.
"Moreover, after hundreds of cycles, those Scythe-Skull Clan members—or rather, the Scythe-Skull Clan individuals who awakened and retained their memories in this timeline—have become intimately familiar with 'our' tactics, habits, and even ways of thinking."
He paused, a rare hint of seriousness in his voice.
"In that cycle, they knew the patrol routes of every wizard squad, could predict the coverage area of a seventh-level wizard's laws, and even developed bio-resistant variants against specific spells. Every inch we advanced, the cost increased."
Suppressed gasps came from the audience.
Jemin silently processed the meaning behind those words.
Hundreds of cycles... This means that the Scythe-Skull Clan, who are in that timeline, have fought the same group of wizards hundreds of times.
Just like a player repeatedly challenging the same level, they will eventually find the optimal solution.
"So, you are the 'variable'."
Artorias raised his hand, his fingertips tracing thirty bright lines in the air.
“Thirty thousand support wizards will be divided into thirty tactical battalions, each with one thousand men. You will not all be deployed at once—we will deploy a new battalion every three cycles within the plane.”
"There are two purposes for doing this: first, to introduce unpredictable new variables to the enemy; second, to allow you 'newcomers' to quickly understand the anomalies on the battlefield through observation."
He looked at everyone, his tone regaining the absolute calm befitting an eighth-level archmage.
"Your mission is simple: do everything in your power to crack the time reversal mechanism. Collect all knowledge samples from the Scythe-Skull civilization and search for special individuals or relics that may trigger the reversal. If you discover any signs that may be the 'source of time,' report it immediately, and the command will allocate high-level forces to handle it."
The moment the words were spoken, the magic network terminal on everyone's wrist vibrated simultaneously.
Jemin looked down and the screen unfolded:
[Combat order of battle allocation complete]
Battalion Number: 1st Tactical Battalion
Captain: Jemin (Level 4 Logistics Wizard)
Staffing: 1000 people (including 23 Level 3 wizards, 477 Level 2 wizards, and 500 Level 1 wizards)
Subsidiary units: Alchemical War Golem, Elemental Summoning Array, Bio-Beast...
The teleportation coordinates have been locked. Please pay attention to the teleportation command.
Captain of the First Brigade.
Jemin was not surprised by the appointment.
After all, there weren't many level four wizards among the 30,000 people present, and his rating as an "elite combat unit" in the military system should be quite high.
But this was the first time he had ever commanded a tactical battalion of a thousand men.
"The pressure is considerable," he muttered to himself, but a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes.
Being the first to go out, while not without its risks, also presents more opportunities.
Just then, Artorias raised his hand again.
The leaden gray dome in the sky suddenly became transparent, and a huge light curtain that spanned the field of vision unfolded.
The scene depicts a dark red world—a real-time image of the Reincarnation Dimension.
A densely packed army of wizards could be seen advancing, with various magical lights raining down on the dark purple swarm of insects in the distance.
The shells of the Scythe-Skull Clan shattered under the bombardment of energy, but their numbers seemed endless, surging forth from the earth, from the backs of mountains, and even from spore clouds in the sky.
The battle did not appear to be difficult.
The wizards' lines advanced steadily, with level six and seven wizards hovering high in the sky, occasionally taking action to eliminate any high-ranking Scythe-Skull Clan members who attempted to gather.
But Jemin frowned.
He noticed a few details.
The Sickle-Skull Clan's charging formation was changing; they seemed to be able to predict the landing point of the magic spells and disperse in advance.
Some individuals developed targeted elemental resistance patterns on their carapaces, and one squad of Scythe-Skull burrowing units even precisely bypassed the vibration perception barrier set up by the wizard.
“This is the battlefield of ‘being adapted’…” Jemin thought with a chill.
Even so, the wizards, with their overwhelming pressure, continued to advance and soon broke through the last line of defense.
However, at that moment, the screen suddenly started to twitch.
It's not signal interference; the entire plane is twitching.
Mountains, rivers, broken shells, lingering aftershocks of witchcraft...
Everything was like a video playing in reverse, regressing to the "past" at an illogical speed.
The dead Scythe-Skull Clan rose again, the consumed magical energy returned to the caster's body, and even the leveled terrain was rapidly restored to its original state.
The entire process lasted only three seconds.
When the scene stabilized, the battlefield returned to its "initial state": the wizards had just completed their teleportation and assembly in front of the dimensional rift, and the main force of the Scythe Skull Clan was still surging on the distant horizon, as if the fierce battle that had lasted for several hours had never happened.
Only the solemn expressions on the wizards' faces on the ship proved that what had just happened was not an illusion.
"The 137th cycle is over," Artorias announced calmly. "The 138th cycle begins."
He turned to the 30,000 people below the stage.
"First Tactical Battalion, prepare to teleport."
Jemin took a deep breath and gripped the staff in his hand tightly.
The wizards in the squad behind him lined up in formation, and all sorts of cannon fodder units were also ready.
At the edge of the light curtain in the sky, a huge black crack slowly tore open.
Dark red light surged within the crack, and the sounds of fighting and energy explosions could be faintly heard from the other side.
“Remember,” Artorias concluded, “you are a new variable, but also a new prey. The Scythe-Skull Clan will study you and adapt to you at lightning speed. With each cycle, they will understand you a little better.”
"So, don't give them too much time."
The departure countdown on the terminal has reached zero.
Jemin raised his hand, and his voice amplified throughout the entire First Brigade:
"Attention all personnel! Follow me! Charge!"
Instead of opting for a conservative defensive formation, he directly adopted the most aggressive wedge-shaped assault formation.
Since the enemy already knows the "Old Wizard's" tactics inside and out, the first wave of contact must be made in the most unpredictable way to disrupt the opponent's rhythm.
A thousand wizards simultaneously activated protective spells, and halos of various colors of energy lit up.
Five thousand alchemical war golems began to accelerate with heavy steps, their shells coated with the latest anti-biological acid coating.
The elemental summoning array began to chant, and the prototypes of a fire elemental giant, a wind blade eagle, and a rock golem condensed in the air.
Meanwhile, the cannon fodder legion behind Jemin began to surge like a silent black tide.
"Walk!"
He was the first to rush towards the black crack in the sky.
(End of this chapter)
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