Chapter 2913 – Blue Thunder Flying Ship

“An army of more than ten million NPCs?”

Shi Feng was a little shocked when he read the detailed report Fang Shihan sent him.

He had experienced wars between kingdoms and empires in his previous life. However, the kingdoms involved had pitted armies of a million NPCs, at most, against each other. These wars had also typically lasted over a month as the involved kingdoms conducted all sorts of battles to annex each other’s land. This was because one of the conditions for a kingdom to become an empire was occupying a sufficiently large area of land.

In the case of wars between empires, even if two empires waged a full-blown war with each other, the total number of NPCs participating would reach only ten million.

Yet, just one of the Otherworld NPC army’s several dozen detachments had a force of ten million NPCs, equivalent to the combatants of two empires combined.

“At their rate of advance, they will reach the Steel Lion Fortress, which is the closest to the border, in two hours. Fire Dance and I are on our way there with 800,000 Tier 3 players and 50 Tier 4 players. We should arrive within an hour.

“As for the two other targeted locations, Aqua Rose has garrisoned Thunder Gorge City with 700,000 Tier 3 players and 70 Tier 4 players, while Gentle Snow has garrisoned the Redthorn Fortress with 1,000,000 Tier 3 players and 100 Tier 4 players. As for the independent players, they will probably make their way to these three locations soon. “The good news is that, according to our investigations, not many Outerworld players are joining the battlefield here, so we shouldn’t face as much trouble as the various empires. We only need to focus on the NPC

army.”

Border strongholds generally only had small teleportation arrays, which limited the number of players that could get through. Hence, Fang Shihan could only have everyone hurry over to these strongholds on foot when faced with the Outerworld NPC army’s sudden invasion.

Shi Feng understood their current predicament. Unlike NPCs, players couldn’t stay cooped up in a border stronghold forever. They needed to grind for levels and better equipment. Hence, in preparation for the imminent war, most players had chosen to bind their return point to the NPC cities located closest to the border strongholds. Only when the actual war began would they teleport to these NPC cities and travel to the border strongholds on their Mounts.

“I’ll leave command to you all for now, but I’ll hurry over to help afterward,” Shi Feng said.

One hour!

With his speed, he could definitely make it to the Steel Lion Fortress within an hour.

Currently, the only thing the Blue Thunder Flying Ship lacked was the core magic array. So long as he finished engraving it, the Mysterious-Iron Flying Ship would be complete.

A Mysterious-Iron Flying Ship could play a significant role in a defensive siege. Its importance even surpassed two or three ordinary Tier 5 existences.

After Shi Feng finished speaking, he promptly disconnected the call and began engraving the core magic array.

The core magic array comprised three Advanced Grandmaster Magic Arrays. These magic arrays were so complex that even a Basic Grandmaster Magician wouldn’t be able to construct them. This feat should also be beyond Shi Feng, who had gotten promoted to Grandmaster Magician just recently.

However, after his Concentration standard reached the Tier 5 Peak rank, his brain’s activity and computing power had improved drastically. In addition, the core array’s three Advanced Grandmaster Magic Arrays shared some similarities with some of the magic arrays passed down through the Ancient God’s Legacy. These factors made it possible for Shi Feng to carve out the three Advanced Grandmaster Magic Arrays.

The past three failures occurred because of a mistake in the final fusion process. With my degree of control, the magic arrays carved should be perfect, so why can’t I merge them? Is my control of magic arrays insufficient? Or is there another problem? Confusion filled Shi Feng’s mind as he repeatedly inspected the core magic array’s design. He had already succeeded in engraving the core magic array without pausing, yet he failed to activate the magic array when he tried injecting Mana into it. This was definitely the first time he had encountered such a problem.

Typically, if players succeeded in engraving a magic array, the magic array would activate once it received a supply of Mana. Only if there was a problem with the magic array would the activation fail.

“Guild Leader, I keep getting the feeling that this core magic array is very strange,” Melancholic Smile suddenly said as she looked at the core magic array. “Each of the three magic arrays in it is meant to absorb one specific type of Mana, so why are they forcing these three types of Mana to fuse afterward? The three elements have their own characteristics; how could they be merged into one?”

Currently, Melancholic Smile was only half a step away from becoming a Grandmaster Magician. And because she didn’t invest her time in combat, the amount of research she conducted into Grandmaster Magic Arrays surpassed even Shi Feng’s.

When she first looked at the Blue Thunder Flying Ship’s core magic array, she already found the magic array strange. However, since the Flying Ship’s design stated that the magic array should be constructed that way, she didn’t voice her concerns. Now that the core magic array couldn’t be activated, though, this proved that there was indeed a flaw in the design.

However, Shi Feng simply smiled when he heard Melancholic Smile’s questions. “The various elements of Mana indeed have their own operating principles, and merging them is impossible. However, that’s not the case for this extraordinary magic array. After absorbing ambient Mana, the magic array will first break up the operations of these different types of Mana. And before they recover, the magic array will influence them to operate under a new set of operating principles. Although the change will last for only a brief moment, the core magic array can, without a doubt, change the operating principles of Mana.” “Something like that is possible?” Melancholic Smile was startled. In her opinion, the operating principles of Mana were unchangeable. Take the way some players forcefully manipulated Mana to use Skills. While these players might succeed in activating their Skills, the result would have significantly weaker effects. After all, the Mana they manipulated was actively resisting them. For this reason, players who had reached Tier 4 would try to activate their Skills and Spells by following the operating principles of Mana instead of forcing Mana to do their bidding

As Shi Feng was about to explain further, he suddenly fell into a daze.

I see! So, this is the Law of Destruction’s true usage method! An ecstatic expression appeared on Shi Feng’s face as realization dawned upon him.

Recently, he had fallen into despair, as he found himself stuck at Holy Annihilation’s entry level.

No matter how he tried to convert ambient Mana into his own Mana, the area he could influence only grew alongside his Concentration. While this was indeed the correct way to manipulate Mana, it wasn’t the case if he was trying to make use of a World Law.

The reason Holy Annihilation could exhibit such devastating power was a complex Destruction Magic Array designed for the Mana Technique.

The fact that he could utilize the Heavenly Blue Saint’s Destruction Magic Array and merge it into various combat techniques and Mana manipulation methods proved that he was starting to master the Law of Destruction. However, he still didn’t truly understand how the Destruction Magic Array operated.

But Shi Feng understood everything now.

The Law of Destruction’s essence wasn’t to make Mana disappear. Instead, it was to break the operating principles of Mana, causing Mana to lose its original effects. Hence, if he wished to grasp the Law of Destruction fully, he shouldn’t be relying on the Destruction Magic Array to guide Mana. Instead, he should rely on his mind to halt the operations of Mana naturally.

Of course, it was easier said than done. Not only did he need powerful mental strength, but he also had to reverse the operations of different types of Mana precisely. Only by doing so could he perfectly stop the operation of Mana. At this point, Shi Feng finally understood why the core magic array wouldn’t activate.

So, it is because the strength of my Mana is too weak?

Shi Feng smiled bitterly as he looked at the engraved magic array in front of him.

Mana was required to control Mana. If a person lacked Mana, they naturally couldn’t manipulate ambient Mana.

If one wished to break the operating principles of Mana, one would need incredibly powerful Mana. Liquid Mana wouldn’t suffice; one would need solid Mana at the very least.

Shi Feng immediately began concentrating all of the Mana within his body, condensing it into a grain of sand that sat on his palm. He then injected the grain of solid Mana into the core magic array.

Boom!

Along with the sound of an explosion, the Blue Thunder Flying Ship’s core magic array came to life. The ambient Mana surrounding the Flying Ship then began flooding the core magic array, becoming fuel for the Flying Ship’s engine.

System: Congratulations! You have successfully created the Blue Thunder Flying Ship. Forging Proficiency increased by 100,000,000 points. Level increased by two.

Simultaneously, all players who participated in the Blue Thunder Flying Ship’s production received a corresponding amount of EXP and Proficiency. Although the amount they received wasn’t as exaggerated as Shi Feng’s, it was still significant nonetheless.

Currently, though, nobody paid attention to the reward they just received. Instead, their eyes were all glued to the completed Blue Thunder Flying Ship. The Blue Thunder Flying Ship measured 500 meters from stem to stern, and it could carry up to 300 players at a time. It boasted 40 Advanced Magic Elven Cannons, each capable of launching attacks at the Tier 5 Basic standard, and 12 Floating Crystal Cannons, which could be used for both offense and defense. Offensively, the Floating Crystal Cannons could launch attacks at the Tier 5 Basic standard. Defensively, they could withstand attacks even from Tier 5 existences. In addition to these two types of cannons, the Flying Ship also had a main cannon capable of launching attacks at the Tier 5 Intermediate standard. Lastly, the Flying Ship’s flight speed was comparable to that of Tier 5 Extraordinary Flying Mounts.

Twin Towers Kingdom, Steel Lion Fortress:

Assembled atop the Steel Lion Fortress’s 50-meter-tall steel walls were more than 300,000 Level 150-plus, Tier 3 NPCs, all geared in Level 150-plus Dark-Gold Equipment. These NPCs were without a doubt the cream of the crop of the Twin Towers Kingdom’s army. There were also close to 30 Tier 4 NPCs standing on the wall, and the one leading these Tier 4 NPCs was a Level 200, Tier 4 Sky Knight. The Sky Knight was a man who appeared to be in his late 50s, clad in a complete set of Fragmented Legendary Set Equipment. The aura he exuded was comparable to that of an ordinary Tier 5 NPC.

Apart from the fortress walls, there were also two dozen Tier 4 NPCs chanting an incantation inside the fortress’s core control room. Because of these magical-class NPCs’ manipulation, the fortress’s defensive magic array, which used to have only one layer, was now a threefold magic array instead. Even a Tier 5 existence on a rampage wouldn’t be able to destroy it. At most, the other party would merely expend some of the fortress’s energy supply.

A total of 30 Magic Cannon Towers rose above the fortress, and more than 600 Large Destruction Ballistas were set up on the fortress walls.

In the sky, ten Flying Ships hovered over the fortress: nine Advanced rank and one Bronze rank. Alongside these Flying Ships were over a hundred Tier 3 and Tier 4 Flying Mounts. The sight was simply spectacular and absolutely not something anyone would get to see very often.

More than two million players gathered in the fortress, making the Steel Lion Fortress incredibly crowded.

At this moment, though, none of the players inside the Steel Lion Fortress felt relaxed or excited.

This was because some distance from the Steel Lion Fortress was an army of over three million NPCs, and the number of Tier 4 NPCs in that army exceeded 500. It came bearing various siege weapons-Large Catapults and Advanced Mana Pulse Cannons—which easily numbered more than a thousand.

Meanwhile, hovering above this Outerworld NPC army were more than 50 Flying Ships. Six of them were Bronze Flying Ships while the rest were Advanced Flying Ships. In combination with the 500-plus Tier 3 and Tier 4 Flying Mounts, they practically blotted out the entire sky. The disparity in combat power between the two sides was clear for all to see. Even the players who came to spectate and conduct a live broadcast of the battle wore gloomy expressions when they saw the Outerworld’s NPC army. On the Twin Towers Kingdom’s forums, the live broadcasts caused an uproar among the kingdom’s players. “Is this the Outerworld’s real strength?”

“Can we really hold the Twin Towers Kingdom?”

Although many of the Twin Towers Kingdom’s players had heard bits of information regarding the battles that had taken place at the various empires, the most they got were rumors and some pictures. They didn’t have a clear understanding of the Outerworld NPC army’s true might. Moreover, as players of another country, they previously considered these battles none of their business. However, after seeing the army outside the Steel Lion Fortress, they felt an indescribable sense of despair.

The players standing inside the Steel Lion Fortress especially understood what a war between kingdoms and a War of Worlds entailed. Battles between players were nothing compared to a war between worlds.

The next moment, amid the anxiety and despair of the Twin Towers Kingdom’s players, the commander of the Outerworld’s NPC army raised his right hand and swung it forward. Following his actions, both the war weapons on the ground and the Flying Ships and Flying Mounts in the sky began advancing.

“Activate all defenses! Everyone, prepare for battle!” the Steel Lion Fortress’s commander, Sky Knight Sepel, shouted as he raised his longsword.

In response to Sepel’s command, the NPCs within the fortress armed the Magic Cannon Towers and Large Destruction Ballistas, nocked their bows, and chanted incantations.

Shortly afterward, the first exchange between the two sides took place. The sky instantly turned into a sea of flames as explosions of varying degrees shook the sky and the ground. The explosions were so deafening that all of the players inside the fortress felt their heads ring.

After taking a look at the burning battlefield, Fang Shihan, who stood atop the fortress wall, turned to the players below the wall. Using a Voice Amplification Spell, she ordered calmly, “Everyone, don’t panic. Move as we’ve planned! Ranged players, head up the walls! Melee players, move to the agreed-upon defensive points! Once the magic barrier breaks, it will be your turn to attack with everything you’ve got! We must prevent the Outerworld’s NPCs from destroying the core magic array at all costs until the magic barrier recovers! So long as we can hold our ground, those Outerworld NPCs will be forced to retreat sooner or later!”

The fortress’s defensive magic array wasn’t invincible. In the face of such a powerful offensive, it was only a matter of time before it shattered. Meanwhile, what players like themselves needed to do during this battle was protect the fortress’s core magic array while the defensive magic array was down and buy as much time as possible until the defensive magic array came back online. They would also try to kill as many Outerworld NPCs as possible during this time. Once they repeated this cycle a few times, the Outerworld’s NPC army would eventually have to retreat. When Fang Shihan finished speaking, many of the players present calmed down, and confidence rekindled in their hearts.

NPCs had a very difficult time getting resurrected, and even more so in an intense battle like this. However, it was a different story for players like themselves. If they died, they could be resurrected quickly and rejoin the battle. If there was a healer nearby, they could even be resurrected on the spot at the cost of some EXP.

However, three minutes after Fang Shihan finished speaking, the sound of glass shattering entered everyone’s ears. This sound originated from none other than the Steel Lion Fortress’s defensive magic array.

“Vanguard! Charge!” the Outerworld army’s commander commanded.

Immediately, the Outerworld’s Tier 3 NPCs began charging toward the Steel Lion Fortress in a frenzy. As for the Outerworld’s Tier 4 NPCs, they flew straight for the Fortress Lord’s Mansion, attracting the Steel Lion Fortress’s Tier 4 NPCs to intercept them.

“Trap those Tier 4 NPCs with magic barriers!” Fang Shihan hurriedly commanded when she saw the hundreds of Tier 4 NPCs and Flying Mounts heading into the fortress. “All melee players, stop those Tier 3 NPCs from entering the fortress!”

At Fang Shihan’s command, Zero Wing’s members promptly deployed the Master Magic Barriers they had prepared, trapping more than half of the Outerworld NPCs and Flying Mounts and isolating them into over a dozen different combat zones. Immediately afterward, the Tier 4 players cooperated with the fortress’s Tier 4 NPCs to engage the Outerworld’s Tier 4 NPCs and Flying Mounts.

As for the Tier 3 melee players, they cooperated with the fortress’s Tier 3 NPCs to stop the Outerworld’s Tier 3 NPCs outside the wall.

For a time, sounds of battle rang out from all over the Silver Lion Fortress, originating from individual battles, group battles, and one-sided slaughters. On the ground, the fortress’s Tier 3 players were holding up pretty well against the Outerworld’s Tier 3 NPCs. Although there was indeed a difference in levels and equipment between the two sides, the Tier 3 players managed to mitigate this difference by relying on their superior combat standards and coordination with other players. The difference in numbers between the two sides wasn’t overwhelming, either. So, the fortress’s Tier 3 players managed to trade at a relatively good ratio of two-to-eight with the Outerworld’s Tier 3 NPCs, with two Outerworld NPCs dying for every eight fortress players. This was undoubtedly a beneficial outcome for the players.

However, in the aerial battle, the Twin Towers Kingdom’s side had fallen into an absolute disadvantage.

Setting aside the difference in the number of Flying Ships and Flying Mounts the two sides possessed, just the difference in the number of Tier 4 combatants already posed an insurmountable gap. And worse, the fortress’s Magic Cannon Towers were hardly of any use against the Outerworld’s Tier 4 combatants.

Moreover, if not for Fire Dance, Violet Cloud, and Yan Tianxing working together to hold off the leader of the Outerworld army’s vanguard—a Level 180, Tier 5 NPC—the Advanced Master Barriers trapping and suppressing more than half of the Outerworld’s Tier 4 NPCs would’ve long since been shattered.

As for the other Tier 4 experts, apart from those at the Void Realm standard or above, everyone else couldn’t even put up a fight against the Outerworld’s Tier 4 NPCs.

The difference in the number of Tier 4 combatants is too great. No wonder the superpowers in the empires are losing fights one after another. At this rate, it won’t take more than ten minutes before the core magic array is destroyed.

After killing a Level 180, Tier 4 Great Wizard, Fang Shihan glanced at Cola and White Feather, who were doing their best to stop attacks from reaching the Fortress Lord’s Mansion. When she saw they faced a dozen or so Tier 4 NPCs, she felt powerless.

On her side, she only had to handle three Level 180, Tier 4 NPCs by herself, so she could more or less cope. As for Cola and White Feather, they might not have any problem holding off a dozen or so Tier 4 NPCs by relying on their skills and techniques for now, but that would remain true only while they had Skills to use. Not to mention, this wasn’t all the Outerworld army had to offer. It had over 500 Tier 4 NPCs in total and even Tier 5 NPCs leading it. The disparity between the Twin Towers Kingdom’s army and the Outerworld’s army was utterly demoralizing.

After some more time passed, eight of the Twin Towers Kingdom’s Tier 4 NPCs and more than 20 Tier 4 players fell. In contrast, the Outerworld army lost only six Tier 4 NPCs -three of which were Fang Shihan’s kills. The stark difference between the two sides plunged the Tier 4 players into despair.

“Keep fighting! We must not retreat on our first battle!” Fang Shihan bellowed when she saw her people’s demoralized expressions. “Even if we die! We must make these Outerworld NPCs pay a sufficient price!”

Fang Shihan wasn’t too surprised that the Steel Iron Fortress’s defenses were crumbling.

The disparity between the Outerworld’s army and the Twin Towers Kingdom’s army was simply too immense. The only way the Twin Towers Kingdom could emerge victorious was by whittling down the Outerworld’s army through multiple battles at multiple strongholds.

However, the first battle was also when the Twin Towers Kingdom’s combat power was at its peak. If the Twin Towers Kingdom failed to deplete a significant portion of the Outerworld’s army’s forces, the subsequent battles would be even more difficult.

As soon as Fang Shihan finished speaking, however, the Outerworld army’s commander, who rode on one of the Bronze Flying Ships, stood up and suddenly released a frightening aura that enveloped the Steel Lion Fortress. Upon coming into contact with this aura, all the players within the fortress felt their heartbeats accelerate and their bodies grow heavier. It was evident that the Outerworld army’s commander no longer intended to watch from the sidelines and would now enter the battlefield.

“A Level 200, Tier 5 Holy Grail Knight?” A solemn expression appeared on Fang Shihan’s face when she saw the enemy commander walking step by step in the air.

The aura the enemy commander radiated was significantly stronger than what the enemy’s vanguard leader radiated. Moreover, he even wielded a Legendary Greatsword. The enemy commander probably stood at the top even among Tier 5 existences.

If the Steel Lion Fortress’s defenders had to clash against such an existence, their defensive line would probably crumble in an instant.

When the other players saw the enemy commander taking the field himself, none of them had any doubts that this siege battle was over.

However, just as the enemy Holy Grail Knight arrived above the Steel Lion Fortress and was about to take action, a deafening roar suddenly came from the distant sky.

Before anyone could turn toward the source of the noise, a dark-blue behemoth arrived in the airspace above the fortress like a lightning bolt.

Both players and NPCs present were startled by the dark-blue behemoth’s sudden appearance. “A Flying Ship?!” “Is that really a Flying Ship?!”

The Flying Ship above them was simply massive. Even the Bronze Flying Ships, which measured close to 200 meters in length, looked like infants beside the dark-blue behemoth. Moreover, this dark-blue behemoth distorted the space around it just by hovering in place. The Mana within and around the Steel Lion Fortress gathered fervently around this dark-blue behemoth, and even the Outerworld army’s vanguard commander had the Mana in his Mana Domain drawn away.

As the dark-blue behemoth began descending toward the fortress, a man wearing a black cloak walked to the bow of the Flying Ship. Upon seeing this man, the players in the fortress immediately burst into cheers.

“Guild Leader! You’re finally here!” Fang Shihan said in a disgruntled tone as she looked at the man standing atop the dark-blue behemoth.

Shi Feng had promised to arrive at the Steel Lion Fortress before the battle began, yet he showed up only after they had been fighting for some time.

“Sorry for the long wait, everyone,” Shi Feng said apologetically as he looked at Fang Shihan and the others. He then shifted his gaze to the Outerworld NPC army and smiled, saying, “Now that I’m here, leave the rest to me!”