I, a cultivator, have ended up in the wizarding world.

Chapter 472 Arrangement
At the Norren Workshop, the steel fortress continues to "grow".

This is not rhetoric, but a description of the facts.

With the continuous work of hundreds of alchemy wizards, the outer walls of the fortress are growing thicker and taller at a visible rate.

The original height of 100 meters has been increased again, and the wall is no longer just plain black metal, but presents a complex composite material texture.

The inner layer is an energy-absorbing honeycomb structure, the middle layer is a self-repairing memory metal, and the outer layer is a hardened alloy mixed with anti-magic powder.

But this is only one node in the Norren Workshop's defense system.

Looking around, with this fortress numbered "7" as the center, every few tens of kilometers on the gray-white wasteland to the left and right, there stands a steel fortress with a similar style but different details.

Each fortress is undergoing reinforcement work simultaneously.

The wizards never intended to fight individually from the beginning.

The million-strong army of wizards mobilized by Norren Workshop had already completed a meticulous organization before entering the position.

The entire legion was divided into twelve "battle groups", each of which had ten "battalions", and each battalion contained ten "squads".

The most basic combat unit is a "squad" consisting of 10,000 level 3 to 5 wizards, supplemented by several level 6 wizards and at least one level 7 wizard.

Fortress 7 is the defensive core of one of the "squads".

As per the pre-war requirements, the magic arrays of these fortresses will eventually merge into one, forming a super-large war fortress.

At this moment, besides logistics wizards like Jemin who are inside the fortress, there are many more wizards carrying out other tasks in the wilderness.

"Third ripple trap group, deployment complete."

"The Seventh Void Mine Zone has been activated."

"Detecting spore clusters, the release quantity has reached the predetermined standard, and it begins to spread in the direction of the enemy's movement."

The continuous stream of reports echoed through the encrypted mental network within the command center of Fortress 7.

The command center is located 30 meters underground in a spherical space with a diameter of 50 meters.

The walls are covered with hundreds of real-time monitoring light screens, displaying battlefield information transmitted from various angles.

Clark stood in the center of the space, his hands behind his back, his gaze calmly sweeping over the light screens.

The screen displayed footage of several vanguard legions at work.

Approximately 100,000 wizards skilled in stealth, traps, and guerrilla warfare are spreading outwards in a fan shape, starting from Fortress 7.

Having learned of each other's territory through the previous curse war, the wizards have been constantly setting up various deadly traps in the wilderness.

At the same time, a massive number of reconnaissance units were released.

Nanoscale metallic flying insects, biomimetic slimes that blend seamlessly into their environment, and phantom messengers composed purely of light and shadow...

These "cannon fodder" level reconnaissance units spread outwards at an alarming rate, weaving a surveillance network covering hundreds of kilometers ahead.

"Report."

An emergency communication was established.

A fifth-tier wizard wearing light armor and with a fresh burn scar on his face appeared on the light screen.

Behind him were flashes of energy explosions, clearly indicating that he was in a combat zone.

"Frontline reconnaissance post No. 7, number 114. Enemy main force movement confirmed..."

The wizard's voice was somewhat hoarse, but he spoke extremely quickly:
"The enemy has launched a full-scale attack. The number... is estimated at a minimum of 1.5 million, and could reach a maximum of 1.8 million. The marching formation is the 'Wedge Assault Array,' with the vanguard led by nearly 500 seventh-tier wizards and more than 10,000 sixth-tier wizards. The main force in the rear is accelerating and is expected to reach our first line of trap defenses in 47 minutes."

In the image, a patch of "dark clouds" can be faintly seen slowly rising on the distant horizon.

That was the oppressive feeling of a million wizards taking off at the same time, their energy glow and flight paths intertwined to blot out the sky.

Inside the command center, the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.

Despite being mentally prepared, when the number was actually confirmed, an invisible pressure still weighed on the hearts of everyone who heard it.

Clark's expression remained unchanged.

Clearly, some of the other side's high-level wizards have also disappeared.

The bad news is that some high-level combatants from both sides are absent.

Therefore, the number of enemies on the other side still exceeds the number of people on Norren Workshop's side, putting Norren Workshop at a disadvantage at every level.

The number of low-level wizards, ranging from level three to five, is only 60% of that of the enemy.

The number of level six and level seven wizards is about 70% of that of the other side.

“To put it simply,” Clark finally spoke, his voice as calm as if stating a fact unrelated to himself, “even if some of the enemy’s high-level wizards didn’t come, our high-level combat power is still at a disadvantage.”

"Yes."

A cheerful voice suddenly rang out beside Clark.

Space distorted slightly, and Dionysius Spencer's figure stepped out from the void.

The wizard showed no sign of worry; instead, he exuded an excited anticipation.

Clark turned his head and glanced at him.

"Can't you show even a little more concern?"

"Worried?" Dionysius laughed. "With the strongest genius in the history of the Norn Workshop at our disposal, what do I have to worry about?"

The two didn't speak loudly, but the command center was quiet, so the words were clearly heard by Jemin, who was adjusting the defensive rune nodes not far away.

Jemin paused in his movements.

He secretly nudged Viola, the senior student next to him—she was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, watching with great interest the rapidly approaching "black clouds" on the light screen.

“Senior,” Jemin sent a mental wave through his gaze, “'The strongest genius in the history of Norren Workshop'... Who is this person with such an exaggerated title?” Viola turned her head, her face showing obvious surprise.

“Don’t you know?” She blinked her silver-gray eyes. “Mentor Clark is the holder of this title.”

Jemin was taken aback.

“But…” he hesitated for a moment, “Wasn’t Starfall Wizard the first wizard in Norren Workshop to obtain a Level 1 training agreement? Doesn’t that mean…”

“This means that what she’s researching has significant value for the entire wizarding civilization,” Viola replied, her tone matter-of-fact. “But the reason Professor Clark couldn’t get a Level 1 training agreement is because his research is completely unsuitable for widespread application; it’s only suitable for a very few geniuses, and may even only be suitable for himself.”

She paused, noticing Jemin's thoughtful expression, and added:

“This does not mean that the old man is weak. On the contrary, it is precisely because his path is unique and cannot be replicated that he is recognized by the workshop as ‘the strongest individual genius in history’.”

Jemin wanted to ask more, but Dionysius's voice had already resounded throughout the entire defensive zone via the mental link:
"All combat personnel, immediately move to your designated combat positions!"

"The fortress magic circle is now fully activated!"

"The vanguard legion is retreating; be ready to provide backup!"

"All units, release the cannon fodder troops..."

"Prepare for full-scale battle!"

The order was like cold water poured into boiling oil, instantly igniting the entire area.

The wizards who were originally working outside the fortress began to retreat back inside in an orderly manner.

The heavy metal gate slowly descended, and millions of defensive runes on the wall lit up one by one, forming a three-dimensional energy shield that emitted a pale golden light from the foundation to the top.

At the same time, every wizard, regardless of level, began to release the "cannon fodder units" they had prepared.

This is the norm in wizard wars.

A duel between high-ranking wizards often has far-reaching consequences, requiring complete concentration.

As for the large number of enemy low- to mid-level wizards, as well as various summons and constructs, which pose a relatively low threat, we need to use our own cannon fodder units to wear them down and restrain them.

Outside Fortress 7, the once empty wasteland where only a dozen or so wizards were active was completely "filled" in just one minute.

No, it's not just about filling it up.

It was "submerged".

The metal-clad giants strode heavily, forming a square formation on the ground, their shoulder-mounted energy cannons beginning to charge.

The elemental summoning circle unfolded in the air, and fire crows, ice wolves, thunder eagles, gargoyles... all sorts of elemental creatures surged out like a tide.

The war beasts, transformed from flesh and blood, roared. Their forms were twisted, some with three heads, some covered in bone spikes, and some with fleshy wings spread from their backs.

Clusters of parasitic spores spread out like a green mist, attaching themselves to any enemy, draining their life force, and multiplying rapidly.

There are even more bizarre beings: assassins made of shadows, slime monsters capable of splitting, and an army of illusions formed purely from sound...

The number of cannon fodder units released by more than 10,000 wizards easily exceeded 100 million, and is still rising rapidly.

The sky was obscured, and the earth trembled.

Jemin also left the command room and went outside.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the inner sanctum of his body.

There, the legion, already prepared, awaited orders.

"Go."

The command was given silently.

next second...

Rumble, rumble...

On the west side of Fortress No. 7, in an area with a radius of more than 500 meters, space suddenly distorted violently.

Then, like a flood bursting its banks, a black torrent poured out from the void.

That was an army.

A giant, entirely black and covered in a layer of flowing liquid metal, leaped out from the distorted space.

They stand in silent rows, each at least thirty meters tall, with vertical slits in their chests that occasionally open and close, revealing obsidian-like sharp teeth inside.

A bone-chilling cold emanates from them, a low-temperature field caused by the continuous absorption of external heat.

A level 5 Black Giant, one million.

Level 6 Black Giants, 10,000 in number.

And, hovering above the legion, were seven hundred figures, slightly smaller in size but exuding a distinct aura of intelligence.

They are clad in armor engraved with intricate runes, wield staffs formed from their own secretions, and have rational glints in their eyes.

Black Giant Priests, all seven hundred, all level six.

Of the black giants brought out from the Sulfur Plane of Purgatory, only one hundred priests were left by Jemin in his internal celestial chamber to maintain the operation of the automated factory and energy circulation system.

The moment this legion appeared, the cannon fodder units released by the other wizards around them showed a clear "retreat".

That is the instinctive fear that lower-level life forms feel when facing higher-level beings.

After all, the energy fluctuations emitted by the Black Giant Legion had an average intensity of level five, and were mixed with tens of thousands of level six pressures.

Apart from the cannon fodder units released by high-ranking wizards, the other wizards' cannon fodder units all appeared too weak in front of Jemin's black giants.

(Bonus chapter today, one more chapter)
(End of this chapter)