Chapter 261 - 263: Probing

Chapter 261: Chapter 263: Probing

’The world underwent a transformation, but surely it didn’t just make the Expedition Base vanish!’

While Angela fretted, Andre was just as distraught.

By now, he had no idea how far he’d flown, yet there was still no sign of the Expedition Base.

’After the world’s transformation, it’s understandable that the ruins from that battle were repaired by the world itself. But the terrain shouldn’t have been restored, right?’

Andre stared at the verdant landscape before him, feeling utterly helpless.

Logically, even if the ruins of that great war were repaired and the various residual Powers worn away by the world’s consciousness, the world’s consciousness wouldn’t have expended its Power to alter terrain that had already been changed.

If the world’s consciousness hadn’t altered the terrain, he should have been able to see the volcanoes, magma flows, dust clouds, and acid rain that the great war had created.

But he hadn’t seen a single one of those things.

This made Andre begin to wonder, ’Have I been flying in the wrong direction all this time?’

’If only I’d known. I should have placed the Eight-toothed Giant Elephant in the Secret Realm when I first reached the Expedition Base.’

’If I’d put the Giant Elephant in the Secret Realm, I could have it carry me now. Its flight Speed is much faster than my own.’

Andre flew onward, his expression grim.

Meanwhile, a great distance from Andre, a series of bizarre yet strangely beautiful cities trembled under the relentless assault of the Wizards.

The Wizards were constantly activating the War Witchcraft Artifacts aboard their Star Realm Battleships, unleashing the Fog Technique in an attempt to breach the cities’ defenses.

As the Wizards attacked, life forms from within the cities tried to stop them.

But before these beings could even get near the Star Realm Battleships, they were obliterated by the ships’ Magic Energy Cannons. Many were annihilated so completely that not even dust remained.

After witnessing these examples, no one else from the cities dared to come out and throw their lives away against the Wizards.

Everyone remained within their cities, contributing their Power to strengthen the Witchcraft Arrays that protected them.

Just then, on the other side of the sky, a shadow began to spread like an approaching storm cloud.

’What is that?’ Quint, who hadn’t seen Andre in a long time, frowned from inside his Star Realm Battleship as he watched the dark shadow rapidly approaching in the distance.

He then ordered the Witch Brain Core to magnify the shadow.

When he saw that the cloud-like shadow was actually the Racial Alliance Army, Quint immediately sent out an alert through the Star Realm Battleship’s Witchcraft Array.

He then had his Star Realm Battleship turn and leave the area.

He had no desire to bear the brunt of a direct confrontation with this Racial Alliance Army.

Pitting a single Star Realm Battleship against the entire Racial Alliance Army—even with three War Witchcraft Artifacts on board—would mean being swallowed whole in an instant.

A Star Realm Battleship’s ability to punch above its weight class depended on hovering at high altitudes, charging its weapons in advance, and striking with Witchcraft before the enemy had a chance to detect it.

But now, this aggressive Racial Alliance Army had already spotted him. They wouldn’t give him any opportunity to charge his weapons. Only a fool would clash with them head-on.

After Quint sent out the alert, several Martial Artists and the Wizards closest to him requested his coordinates and began to converge on his position.

’A Racial Alliance Army? Hmph. How many of those have we already wiped out?’

As the Wizards began to rally toward Quint, warriors flew out from the cities they had not yet conquered, heading in the direction of the Racial Alliance Army.

They were seeking revenge against the Wizards.

"A motley crew!"

An Interstellar Battleship soon arrived beside Quint’s. Inside, the Wizard Ratama looked at the distant Racial Alliance Army with utter contempt.

Ratama’s arrogance stemmed from the fact that he had just used the Witchcraft Array on a Star Realm Battleship to scout the approaching Racial Alliance Army.

The reconnaissance had revealed that there were very few individuals among their ranks equivalent to a Level 3 Wizard.

’An army like this? All it would take is ten Star Realm Battleships. Gather them, activate the Witchcraft from their War Witchcraft Artifacts, and we could wipe them out completely.’

"Don’t get careless," Quint warned. "I’ve seen the Expedition Squad’s reports. They say the races in this world are unique."

Quint, however, remained on high alert. The fact that these races from the Cosmic Sea World dared to unite and attack the Wizard Fleet meant they had to have an ace up their sleeve—something the Wizards didn’t know about.

An ace that could not only counter the Wizard Fleet, but perhaps even trap it permanently in the Cosmic Sea World.

"Relax, I know," Ratama said. "Let’s use the Magic Energy Cannons to test their mettle."

With a disdainful look still on his face, Ratama ordered the Witch Brain Core to bring his Star Realm Battleship’s Magic Energy Destruction Cannon online.

A massive amount of Magic Power was drawn into the cannon, coalescing into a beam of light that shot directly toward the Racial Alliance Army.

Seeing Ratama launch a probing attack, Quint sighed. He then deployed his own Star Realm Battleship’s Magic Energy Destruction Cannon and fired alongside Ratama.

"Careful! This is one of their common attack methods! It’s extremely powerful."

At the forefront of the Racial Alliance Army, Seth, a member of the Ape Demon Race, watched the two approaching Magic Energy Beams, his expression darkening.

He then looked to his kinsmen, signaling them to join him in resisting the Witchcraft.

The Ape Demon Race members beside Seth nodded and began to cast their own Witchcraft to counter the Magic Energy Beams.

As several phantoms of Magical Beasts erupted from Seth and the other Ape Demon Race members, the expressions of Quint and Ratama changed inside their Star Realm Battleships.

’These Magical Beast phantoms... they’re clearly not real, so why do they feel alive?’

As Ratama watched the phantoms, the disdain vanished from his face, replaced by a grim seriousness.

Quint also nodded as he watched them. ’In my eyes,’ he thought, ’these Magical Beast phantoms *are* alive.’

At that moment, the Magical Beast phantoms collided head-on with the Magic Energy Beams from the Magic Energy Destruction Cannons.

The collision instantly unleashed a massive shockwave.

When the shockwave dissipated, both the Magic Energy Beams and the Magical Beast phantoms were gone. The initial probing attack had ended in a stalemate.

"They’ve got some tricks," Ratama muttered. "Impressive, for life forms from a Level 5 World. That Power isn’t half bad."

Ratama watched where the Magic Energy Beams had vanished, his expression growing even darker.

He had seen it clearly on the projections: just a few members of the Racial Alliance Army had worked together to neutralize the Magic Energy Beams.

’What would happen if the entire Racial Alliance Army attacked at once?’

"Fall back. Wait for the others to arrive," Quint told Ratama.

Ratama nodded, immediately piloting the Star Realm Battleship to fall back.

Just then, another Starship arrived at Quint’s side.