Leilin heard this and fell silent.
According to previous situations, when all sides possessed roughly equivalent high-level combat power, this was the norm.
But now, with their side's
Although their race wouldn't be completely annihilated, if they were defeated, the human race's living space would most certainly be squeezed — that much was all but guaranteed.
"Our strategy is generally to rely on the three major cities of Duolun for defense. Each city houses a large garrison along with three Second-rank Wizards holding the line, while the Guardian of the Eastern Domain coordinates from the center and provides reinforcements at any time!"
Leilin stroked his chin.
"So the bloody struggle that will unfold around Duolun is going to be absolutely terrifying..."
"ROAR..."
Growing impatient from the wait, the horde of dark beasts roared and charged toward the city walls.
The sight was like ten thousand horses stampeding, the ground trembling beneath the onslaught.
"Activate first-level defenses!" Vantix's expression remained unchanged as he relayed the command through his secret sigil imprint.
Soon, numerous runes emerged from the surface of Duolun's massive walls, radiating a dazzling glow that converged into a continuous field.
BOOM!
Fire! Tongues of flame shot out, engulfing the nearby dark beasts!
The waves of fire grew larger and larger, gradually spreading outward.
"Isn't it a bit too early to activate the Fire Elemental Energy Magical Array?" Leilin furrowed his brow slightly.
"Although the enemy's dark beasts are individually rather weak, their numbers are overwhelming. We can't let them deplete our grassroots forces. Besides, this is the first battle — we need to establish confidence from the start. Our Magic Stone reserves are still plentiful, and this is only the outermost defensive array. It's nothing to worry about!"
Vantix kept his eyes fixed on the battlefield while casually offering Leilin a few words of explanation.
The roaring flames burned like a colossal torch in the darkness, drawing countless dark beasts like moths to a flame.
Ailin stood atop the city wall, watching the scene with a pale face.
The combined aura of the horde of dark beasts made him tremble involuntarily.
After this wave of fire subsided, the remaining dark beasts had already reached the base of the walls, on the verge of clashing with the human defenders.
From Ailin's vantage point, he could already make out the vicious claws of the beasts across from him, along with their snow-white fangs dripping with saliva.
At the same time, he stared at the dingy grey ring on his right index finger, screaming in his mind: "Grandpa
"Don't worry — with me here, you'll be perfectly fine!"
Merlin's voice immediately echoed in Ailin's mind. This was not Leilin operating from behind the scenes, but the semi-intelligent program acting on its own.
"In truth, deserting outright would have been your best option, but unfortunately we're at war! The moment you run, you'll be hunted down by every wizard school simultaneously!"
Merlin seemed to sigh.
In peacetime, if Ailin deserted, naturally only his own school would pursue him. But things were different now.
"I know that!" Ailin was nearly frantic.
"Three steps back! Secondary Fireball! Fifty degrees to the right!"
At that moment, Merlin's voice cut through with the sharp edge of command.
Ailin's body instinctively followed the instruction, stepping back three times and dodging a beast's claw.
"Caw!"
A massive black crow swooped down, and upon missing Ailin, a distinctly human-like flicker of regret crossed its eyes.
"Damn it! I'll kill you!" Ailin rapidly chanted several clipped syllables and flicked his right hand.
A small fireball shot forth, striking the crow dead-on.
BOOM! Crimson flames engulfed the crow's entire body in an instant. The dark beast barely managed a few shrieks before turning into a pile of charred remains.
"Just now..." Ailin's eyes lost focus for a moment.
He had seen it clearly — his fireball should never have hit the target, yet the crow had practically thrown itself directly into the path of the shot.
"That's prediction! A little technique that all wizards learn. If you don't want to die on the battlefield, you must master it tonight!"
Ailin glanced around at the other apprentices' awed, even fawning smiles, and quietly clenched his fist. "I will..."
...
More than ten hours later, a desolate beast roar sounded from the distance, and the horde of dark beasts receded like a tide. Only then did Vantix nod: "Looks like today was just a probe. Let's head back!"
Meanwhile, behind the beast horde, several dark knights riding Burrowing Cold Spiders stood atop a mound of earth, gazing at the distant scene before nodding.
"All three of the enemy's Ancient Matriarch-level existences are present. This confirms it as a major battlefield. Send the signal!"
A knight spoke a few words to a snow-white messenger pigeon, then released it.
The white pigeon circled several times before vanishing swiftly into the horizon.
...
Night fell. Under martial law, the entire city of Duolun was shrouded in silence.
In that same cramped, mildew-streaked room from before, Merlin was holding forth to Ailin.
"You've been conscripted now. No matter the reason, desertion means death. So there's only one thing you can do — earn merit! Earn as much merit as possible! Exchange contribution points for resources and advance to First-rank Wizard as quickly as you can. Full Wizards have considerable autonomy on the battlefield, and your chances of survival improve dramatically..."
The battlefield was fraught with danger, but it also held hope.
Among the wizards, the War Committee had established a merit system that allowed contribution points to be exchanged for resources.
In peacetime, rising to prominence was extremely difficult, but in times of war, heroes emerged aplenty. Such was the nature of danger and opportunity coexisting.
"I know that too!" Ailin said, lost in thought. "But my aptitude, and my Meditation Method..."
Ailin hesitated.
"As for your aptitude — I'm working on improving it. After yesterday's little procedure, you can feel the difference, can't you?"
Merlin chuckled. At this point, the one operating Merlin was Leilin himself, in a spare moment.
He had been the one to ruin Ailin's talent in the first place, and now, with the Chip's precise manipulation and the technical data he had previously obtained from
Hearing this, Ailin's expression softened considerably. After yesterday's surgery by this Legendary Wizard Merlin, he had indeed felt his symptoms improve significantly, and his aptitude had partially recovered.
"But that alone is far from enough!" Merlin continued.
"Your soul aptitude is only third-grade — that's the absolute ceiling. And the rare resources that could push soul limits beyond that have long since vanished. With this level of aptitude, you can barely scrape by practicing your school's advanced Meditation Method, but it doesn't suit you..."
Ailin's face darkened. The advanced Meditation Method passed down in their school — Heart of Flame — had relatively modest requirements. Any wizard with a fire elemental affinity and soul aptitude of third-grade or above could practice it.
But Ailin's primary affinity was water elemental, and fire elemental was merely his secondary affinity. That made him a poor fit.
Furthermore, for wizards practicing Heart of Flame, the higher the soul aptitude, the better. His third-grade aptitude was barely passing at best.
"And besides, you have no way of obtaining the school's recognition to access the advanced Meditation Method now!" Merlin delivered the final blow.
"Then what do I do?" Ailin's eyes went slightly vacant.
"Hahahaha..." Merlin burst into laughter. "Have you forgotten? I, Merlin, was once a Legendary Wizard — would I ever be without an advanced Meditation Method?"
"What I'm going to teach you is a complete advanced Meditation Method that possesses the terrifying power to foresee destiny. Master the future, and you master everything!"
Merlin's tone was brimming with confidence.
"Foresee destiny... master the future..." Ailin's breathing grew slightly heavier.
"That's right! The name of this Meditation Method is — Sacred Light Candleflame!"
...
Also within Duolun City, Leilin's bedchamber was nothing like Ailin's.
The floor was paved with gold leaf, soft brocade silk sheets covered the bed, a massive crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and golden and silver platters held an abundance of fruit.
Ailin's room compared to this was the difference between a beggar's hovel and a palace.
"The temptation of an advanced Meditation Method is, after all, not something an apprentice can resist..."
Leilin sighed. Through their special connection, he watched Ailin begin converting to the new Meditation Method and let out a soft breath.
Although the Chip had already perfected Sacred Light Candleflame and even eliminated its side effects, Leilin still felt a twinge of unease.
The soul was a profoundly mysterious domain. Leilin had previously believed his research into spirits was quite advanced, but after the trip to Ghost Wailing Domain, he realized just how laughable that notion had been.
His research into spirits was probably merely scratching the very surface — not even a fraction of a drop in the ocean. Those old frog-in-the-well perspectives could all be discarded.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt an impulse to keep Sacred Light Candleflame at arm's length.
Though he yearned for the power of destiny, he had no interest in turning himself into a split-personality madman!
Therefore, some live experimental data would be very necessary, and that plan from the road could also be set in motion.
Leilin's expression was devoid of joy or sorrow, filled with a detached calm, as though gazing through layers of luminous curtains toward scenes yet to come.
...
The next day, as usual, hordes of dark beasts were sent as cannon fodder to assault the city.
BOOM! A fireball shot out, transforming a massive black bear into a blazing torch.
Ailin calmly retracted his hand, ignoring the increasingly awed gazes of the apprentices around him, and stepped aside to meditate and restore his Spiritual Power.
"How does it feel after converting to the new Meditation Method?"
In his mind, he continued to converse with Merlin.
Since what Ailin had previously practiced was only the simplified version of the Extreme Shadow Domain's Meditation Method, the conversion had gone smoothly — even Leilin found it somewhat incredible.
And after practicing Sacred Light Candleflame, Ailin's aura had begun to undergo a subtle change...