Chapter 813: Plans
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Seven Lord G.o.ds – how terrifying was their power? The power of the natural order, a nearly unstoppable force filled the air, thundering ruthlessly toward Augustus and the rest.
“Retreat. We can’t resist by force.”
At this point, Augustus and the rest knew that they must not resist by force or their advantage would not be put to use at all.
“Everyone, go on Merlin’s Slothful Beast.”
Augustus eyed Merlin, knowing that only with the Slothful Beast could they gather their strength for one final push. Otherwise, they were clearly at a disadvantage and in an unfavorable position.
“Swish.”
The fastest was the Avian Monarch. The Avian Tribe’s forte was their speed. The Avian Monarch’s body flashed with a golden light, following which he disappeared without a trace. One could not capture the Avian Monarch at all unless one had laid out an inescapable net, sealing off all possible exits.
While the seven Lord G.o.ds still had not surrounded them completely, Roman yelled, “Augustus, Chronos, quickly come into my stealth flying s.h.i.+p. I’ll bring you to Merlin.”
Augustus and Chronos both knew that now was not the time to show off. Faced with seven Lord G.o.ds, they could not resist at all. Therefore, without hesitation, they instantly flew into Roman’s stealth flying s.h.i.+p.
“Gravitational field!”
Roman glanced at the seven Lord G.o.ds with a cold smirk on his lips. The gravitational field erupted at once. Waves of gravity pressed down upon the seven Lord G.o.ds. Although they could withstand this with the natural order, they were still affected and their speed was greatly diminished.
This was Roman’s chance. His stealth flying s.h.i.+p vanished instantly without any trace, only behind the Avian Monarch by one step. They flew atop the Slothful Beast, joining Merlin once more.
“Boom.”
The seven Lord G.o.ds used the power of the natural order to viciously smash the seal over the Atlan Dimension. The seal shattered at once, and one wars.h.i.+p after another zipped out from within.
“The seal has been broken… However, we didn’t waste our efforts. At least we learned that the G.o.d Alliance has joined the fray, and it’s all eight Lord G.o.ds without exception!”
Merlin previously thought of sealing the Atlan Dimension to cut off the Atlan civilization’s power. Now, it looked like this was useless because with the G.o.d Alliance intervention, they had become the biggest threat of the Spell Caster civilization.
“We’ll return to the Spell Caster civilization before thinking of a new plan.”
Merlin glanced at the Lord G.o.d of Light and Progenitor Hanra, then steered the Slothful Beast to crash forward heavily. That ma.s.sive bulk of the Slothful Beast had no qualms in the first place, completely unafraid of any attacks, so it ruthlessly knocked the Lord G.o.d of Light and Progenitor Hanra to one side before flying into the distance.
“Whiz.”
Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light. Everyone atop the Slothful Beast felt their hearts skipping a beat deep in their chests. That was a power strong enough to threaten ultimate existences – the Atlan civilization’s void-level wars.h.i.+p!
“The void-level wars.h.i.+p! Slothful Beast, block it!”
Merlin roared out furiously. His Mind Power frantically urged the Slothful Beast to immediately rolled its enormous body over, blocking that dazzling beam of light.
“Bang.”
The merciless. .h.i.t and its ma.s.sive power blew a b.l.o.o.d.y hole in the Slothful Beast’s body. The Slothful Beast reacted as before, being in incomparable agony, almost about to awaken.
“The void-level wars.h.i.+p is hidden somewhere. We have to leave as fast as possible. Sir Roman, let’s enter your stealth flying s.h.i.+p. The void-level wars.h.i.+p will be unable to target us.”
As Merlin observed the Slothful Beast’s irritable manner, he knew he could not hold on much longer. If the Slothful Beast had awakened, there would be trouble. Fortunately, Roman’s stealth flying s.h.i.+p could not be targeted even by the void-level wars.h.i.+ps for its quick speed had it secured.
After using the Slothful Beast to break out of the cornering attack, Merlin and the rest immediately boarded Roman’s stealth flying s.h.i.+p. Merlin kept the Slothful Beast and started to pacify the creature.
“Go.”
The stealth flying s.h.i.+p flashed with a subtle glint and vanished without a trace. No matter how many ultimate existences there were, it was useless. They were unable to track down and chase after the stealth flying s.h.i.+p.
“D*mn it, we’ve let them escape.”
“The Slothful Beast is powerful indeed. No matter how we attacked, we couldn’t harm it.”
“Roman’s stealth flying s.h.i.+p is scary as well. The peak prowess of the Vestigial Tribe is mystical indeed.”
It was the first time the seven Lord G.o.ds had exchanged blows with Merlin and the rest. Although they did not manage to trap their targets and not even injure them significantly, it was only because they did not have a thorough understanding of the abilities of Merlin and the rest.
Regardless of whether it was the Slothful Beast or the stealth flying s.h.i.+p or even the gravitational field, these were all unknown. Without experiencing them, one would not know how impressive they were.
“Nonetheless, the Atlan Dimension is no longer sealed by them. This is a good thing as well. Our divinity is a.s.sured now.”
The Lord G.o.d of Darkness fixed his steady gaze on that immense dimension that looked like a cloud layer. They believed in general that there was Lord G.o.d-level divinity in the Atlan Dimension.
It was just that the Lord G.o.d-level divinity promised by the Marshall had not been given to them. Now that the Atlan Dimension was opened once again, it was time for the Marshall to fulfill his promise.
“Everyone, I’ll bring you the divinity myself.”
Aboard a wars.h.i.+p, the Marshall flew out along with some gray-armored guards, directly heading into the Atlan Dimension. Thereafter, the Atlan Dimension whirled continuously, and a ma.s.sive wars.h.i.+p flew out from within.
“Swoosh.”
The Marshall flew out once more. This time, in his hand, he held a large amount of Lord G.o.d-level divinity that exuded a powerful presence. Even those who were not G.o.ds could feel it.
“Everyone, this is the Lord G.o.d-level divinity I promised you. After destroying the Spell Caster civilization, I’ll hand over the other half of the Lord G.o.d-level divinity.”
The eight Lord G.o.ds’ eyes brightened, and they hurriedly reached out to take the divinity. They carefully observed it to discern its authenticity.
“It’s true, it’s the real deal – Lord G.o.d-level divinity!”
The Lord G.o.d of Darkness exclaimed, following which he raised his gaze, staring with burning eyes at that ma.s.sive Atlan Dimension behind the Marshall.
If it were not for how he heard the Atlan Dimension had various mysterious aspects as well as that terrifying beam of light from the void-level wars.h.i.+p earlier which made him apprehensive, he would have raced into the Atlan Dimension to seize the Lord G.o.d-level divinity.
It was not just the Lord G.o.d of Darkness. The other Lord G.o.ds were the same, their eyes widening in desire. Naturally, the Marshall was well aware of this but maintained his composure without flaring up.
However, the Marshall was laughing coldly to himself. “Humph, greedy stupid G.o.ds, you dare to call yourselves G.o.ds? Just wait until the void-level wars.h.i.+p is completely stabilized and we’ve mastered the technique to create even more void-level wars.h.i.+ps. By then, we’ll get back from you all the divinity that we’ve lost!”
Both sides had their own agendas but for now, due to certain common interests, they had joined forces. They would each take what they need. The day the Spell Caster civilization was destroyed, their conflicting desires would come to a head.
“Let’s go. We’ll return to the front lines. Otherwise, this time we’ve let them escape. Next time, it won’t be so easy.”
The Lord G.o.d of Light spoke full of confidence. This time, the seven Lord G.o.ds had learned about the techniques of Merlin and the rest. Next time, they would surely be more focused, no longer as muddled as they were this time.
…
In the Void Zone, the stealth flying s.h.i.+p appeared before in the area enclosed by the Mother Tree. The Mother Tree soon noticed the stealth flying s.h.i.+p and allowed them to enter.
Augustus, the Avian Monarch, Chronos, and the rest descended from the stealth flying s.h.i.+p one by one but they looked rather grim. All it took was one glance and everyone knew things did not go smoothly.
“How is it? Did the sealing not go well?”
The Mother Tree asked, mystified.
Merlin hesitated before saying, “Sealing the Atlan Dimension was easy enough but we didn’t expect that the G.o.d Alliance has joined the fray. It’s not their usual interference but all eight G.o.d organizations had turned out in full force.”
“Turned out in full force? How is that possible? Aren’t the eight G.o.d organizations rife with conflict? How come they’re working together, showing up in full force?”
The Mother Tree and Wizard Ceci were incredulous. According to their understanding of the G.o.d Alliance, the eight G.o.d organizations had never joined forces before.
The present mood was rather solemn, and everyone fell silent. They were at a loss as to what caused the eight Lord G.o.ds of the G.o.d Alliance to join forces.
Merlin was ruminating on this as well. Each of the eight G.o.d organizations of the G.o.d Alliance was independent. They were barely able to form an alliance and had never joined forces before.
If they had united, there was only one reason – a common benefit! Merlin could not imagine what significant benefits the other Lord G.o.ds of the G.o.d Alliance might obtain through the destruction of the Spell Caster civilization?
Even though the Spell Caster civilization was relatively formidable, it was not much of a threat to the G.o.d Alliance. At most, the Lord G.o.d of Light would be nervous but he would have no way of convincing the other seven Lord G.o.ds to join with him.
“What’s the greatest temptation to a G.o.d? It’s divinity in particular!”
This insight flashed across Merlin’s mind. He suddenly remembered that the Lord G.o.d of Light initially had to hibernate for a long time but unexpectedly, he had awakened prematurely. Only then was he able to break the Atlan Dimension’s seal and stir up this war.
The key factor in all this was the Atlan civilization!
Only the Atlan civilization was able to hand over Lord G.o.d-level divinity, causing the eight Lord G.o.ds of the G.o.d Alliance to discard their biases and conflicts to unite momentarily.
“Lord G.o.d-level divinity – it’s most likely to be this…”
Merlin briefly explained his hypothesis. The ultimate existences immediately saw the light. Naturally, they had heard of Lord G.o.d-level divinity before. Not only was it helpful to G.o.ds but also other ultimate existences could receive great advantages if they obtained Lord G.o.d-level divinity.
It was not surprising that the eight Lord G.o.ds who had never joined forces were now able to unite. It must be for the sake of the Lord G.o.d-level divinity in the Atlan civilization’s hands.
“The Atlan civilization is impressive indeed, able to use Lord G.o.d-level divinity to rope in the entire G.o.d Alliance!”
Merlin’s expression was somber. He knitted his brow. Purely in terms of the number of ultimate existences, the G.o.d Alliance was clearly at a great advantage. The eight Lord G.o.ds in addition to two Rock Progenitors equaled to ten ultimate existences.
Moreover, there was the void-level wars.h.i.+p that had momentous power and mysterious appearances, hiding in the darkness. This was a ma.s.sive threat.
Conversely, it was the Spell Caster civilization that was losing ground, being in an unfavorable position. They had merely six ultimate existences plus a Slothful Beast, and were much fewer in number.
Nonetheless, they had the upper hand in some respects. The Mother Tree and the Slothful Beast both excelled in defense. If they could hold the fort, the Spell Caster civilization might have a chance. Roman simply needed to use his stealth flying s.h.i.+p to stealthily approach the hidden void-level wars.h.i.+p, then destroy it in one blow. In that manner, they would surely inflict serious damage the G.o.d Alliance’s morale.
However, the prerequisite was, could they hold the fort?
“Everyone, this is a good plan. I believe that the Rock Tribe and the G.o.d Alliance along with the Atlan civilization will act against us as fast as they can. After all, they have the upper hand, trying to wipe us out in one fell swoop. In that case, we’ll just focus purely on defense, and find a chance for Roman to use his stealth flying s.h.i.+p to destroy the wars.h.i.+p.”
Augustus agreed with this plan. In terms of defense, they had the Mother Tree and the Slothful Beast. Their defense was already rather formidable at least equivalent to five or six ultimate existences.
The remaining four ultimate existences, not including Roman, would be able to handle the other ultimate existences of the G.o.d Alliance.
Everyone discussed this matter and had agreed this was a good plan. It was somewhat impractical for them to rush out directly to confront the G.o.d Alliance. Therefore, they could only wait for the G.o.d Alliance’s attack.
Furthermore, Roman had the stealth flying s.h.i.+p, which was the s.h.i.+p the Vestigial Tribe had used to escape. Now, it was perfect for a sneak attack as well. Even if the sneak attack did not work, Roman could still return safely without any harm.
However, there were only two points of concern. The first was whether the defenses of the Mother Tree and the Slothful Beast were sufficient to withstand the G.o.d Alliance’s attack.
The second was, even if Roman had located the Atlan civilization’s void-level wars.h.i.+p, if the wars.h.i.+p was difficult to destroy, then this plan was essentially useless.
After all, although the void-level wars.h.i.+p had killed Arcane Wizard Setoh, and many of them had witnessed its power, there were only a few who had seen it up close and understood it.
Thus, they were all plagued by uncertainty.
“I suppose there’s someone who has a rough understanding of the void-level wars.h.i.+p.”
Merlin mulled this over and thought of someone.
Roman raised his head, seeming to hit upon the same idea. He said softly, “Wizard Merlin, you mean Flarite?”
“That’s right, I mean Flarite!”
Following that, Merlin had Augustus invite Flarite into the foyer. This was where the ultimate existences were holding their discussion, and not even Flarite had been qualified to join them.
Soon, Flarite entered the foyer. When he looked at all these ultimate existences, his expression remained placid, making everyone somewhat puzzled.
After all, even a Great Lord would be astounded to see so many ultimate existences at once. Nonetheless, after they had observed more closely and realized what was so special about Flarite, it was they who were surprised.
“A quasi-ultimate existence?”
“He’s already capable of merging with the natural order?”
At this time, many ultimate existences had discovered Flarite’s unique attribute. He already had one foot on the threshold of the ultimate level. He could merge with the natural order any time he wished to.
Of course, whether he would succeed was difficult to tell. A quasi-ultimate existence like this did not exist whether in the Tree Tribe, the Avian Tribe, the Giant Tribe, and the Spell Caster civilization or anything else.
Therefore, the ultimate existences no longer looked at Flarite as below them but rather as an equal. When faced with any quasi-ultimate existences, true ultimate existences would not be too arrogant.
“Flarite, this time, we’ve invited you because there’s something we need to ask you.”
Merlin said with a smile.
“Oh? Whatever it is, go ahead.”
Flarite already noticed the tense atmosphere, and thought it must be about the Vestigial Tribe or the Atlan civilization. After all, he understood the Vestigial Tribe the most.
“Here’s the thing. The current situation of the war has changed. The G.o.d Alliance has joined in completely, and our opponents have the upper hand. We wish to destroy the void-level wars.h.i.+p that is a great threat to us. However, we don’t know the characteristics of the void-level wars.h.i.+p, so we thought of asking you to explain in detail.”
Merlin quickly summarized the issue, and Flarite understood the general situation. It was true that the void-level wars.h.i.+p was an immense threat, especially toward ultimate existences. Without the void-level wars.h.i.+p, killing an ultimate existence could only be achieved through a group attack that was difficult to carry out, unless one reached the level of the Thirty-six Emperors where there was a great disparity in power.
However, with the void-level wars.h.i.+p, a moment of carelessness could lead to a fatal shot killing an ultimate existence. It would be disastrous for the Spell Caster civilization.
“Everyone, regarding the void-level wars.h.i.+p, I merely know about a wars.h.i.+p of the Vestigial Tribe that could kill ultimate existences back then. However, it wasn’t called the void-level wars.h.i.+p. Still, the Atlan civilization must be imitating the Vestigial Tribe’s wars.h.i.+p, so they would be largely similar. A wars.h.i.+p that can kill ultimate existences is relatively fearsome itself. No matter in terms of speed or defense, it’s more powerful.
“Nonetheless, even the strongest can’t withstand an ultimate existence’s attack! The Vestigial Tribe’s previous wars.h.i.+p was able to progress unhindered because it was managed by a Black Star Warrior. The strongest wars.h.i.+p of the Vestigial Tribe was overseen by a Black Star Warrior. With a wars.h.i.+p like that, even in encountering an ultimate existence, the Black Star Warrior could attack, preventing their opponent from wrecking the wars.h.i.+p. However, based on the Atlan civilization’s present progress, they should be a long way from creating a Black Star Warrior. Otherwise, it wouldn’t merely be a void-level wars.h.i.+p that will greet all of you but powerful Black Star Warriors.”
After Flarite’s explanation, everyone slowly learned that the void-level wars.h.i.+p itself was simply comparatively powerful. Its concealment and speed were emphasized but the real trump card was the main cannon that could kill an ultimate existence.
Of course, its speed and concealment were unable to reach the standard of the stealth flying s.h.i.+p. As to why the wars.h.i.+p’s defense could not withstand an ultimate existence’s attack, this was something not even the Vestigial Tribe could solve. Otherwise, would the Vestigial Tribe not be an unrivaled race?
After all, a wars.h.i.+p was too large compared to a set of armor. Only armors like the Black Star and above could withstand an ultimate existence’s attack.
Thus, the void-level wars.h.i.+p itself was not scary. If an ultimate existence was able to get near the wars.h.i.+p, they would certainly have a chance of destroying it.
“Phew…”
Merlin heaved a long sigh of relief. He knew that Roman who had the stealth flying s.h.i.+p had a chance of destroying the Atlan civilization’s void-level wars.h.i.+p. After all, Black Star Warriors could only be created by putting on the Black Star Armor.
Regardless of whether it was the Black Star Armor or the Black Star Warrior, they involved a fundamental component of the Vestigial Tribe – the Brain of Life. At the end of the day, the Atlan civilization was not the Vestigial Tribe, having no way to manufacture the Brain of Life. This was the real reason the Atlan civilization could not compare to the Vestigial Tribe by far.
If the Atlan civilization had the Brain of Life, they would not need to join forces with the G.o.d Alliance. The Atlan civilization itself would already be able to take over countless civilizations and tribes. Other than beings like the Thirty-six Emperors, there was no one at all that could contend against any power approaching the Vestigial Tribe who once swept over the Void Zone.
“Everyone, Flarite has already explained that the void-level wars.h.i.+p is nothing to be afraid of. Its concealment and speed, although more formidable, are still lacking much compared to Sir Roman’s stealth flying s.h.i.+p. Sir Roman is surely able to track down the void-level wars.h.i.+p and destroy it. Nonetheless, we must give Sir Roman some time. We must withstand the G.o.d Alliance’s attack.”
The t.i.tan Giant Chronos laughed. “Haha, so what if it’s the G.o.d Alliance? It might be difficult if we’re talking about defeating them but shouldn’t defending be a breeze?”
Everyone chortled as well. They had confidence in the Mother Tree and the Slothful Beast.
“I’ve already used my trees to link up the nearest hundreds of dimensions of the Spell Caster civilization. They can form an even stronger defense. Nonetheless, if their attack is too strong, some of these dimensions will collapse.”
The Mother Tree spoke frankly.
Augustus shook his head, replying calmly, “At the crucial moment of the Spell Caster civilization’s life and death, what is the loss of a few hundred or even a few thousand dimensions?”
They discussed this further, and finally settled on a plan. Still, they needed some time to prepare. Moreover, the G.o.d Alliance would not advance so quickly.
Merlin returned to his residence. He hurriedly entered the ring that Wizard Augustus had given him. In that colossal s.p.a.ce, the Slothful Beast appeared irritable and uneasy.
Fortunately, the Slothful Beast’s temperament was rather mild. Otherwise, after suffering the void-level wars.h.i.+p’s attack which injured it, that agony would instantly turn it insane, even if the wound was healed.
“My Mind Power is still rather lacking. Steering the Slothful Beast is already my limit!”
Merlin also knew that he had no way to control the Slothful Beast, only being able to immerse it in an illusion. In truth, this was not that stable. If the Atlans found out about this, they only had to attack the Slothful Beast forcefully to prevent Merlin from manipulating the Slothful Beast.
At that time, if the Slothful Beast went wild, the side that suffered the greatest loss would be the Spell Caster civilization. Thus, a situation like this must be remedied.
“If I’m able to fuse with t.i.tus’ Illusory World, I can make the Slothful Beast stay in the Illusory World forever. No matter what, it won’t wake up.”
Merlin knew that merging with the Illusory World would resolve his current predicament. However, it had not been a long time since he forcibly attempted to fuse with the Illusory World. Even if Merlin’s Mind Power had increased at a great pace, it was far from being adequate to fuse with the Illusory World.